Our names are John and Maxx Amador, and we’re currently high school students in Pflugerville ISD. We first heard about the district’s new policy concerning the lunch debt through social media posts, and we knew we wanted to help. However, it wasn’t until we saw the emotional impact the alternative lunch had on students that we knew we needed to take action. We have spoken to a district representative about their needs and our goals. When the district implemented their new policy, over $180,000 was owed; unfortunately, only $30,000 of the budget was allocated to pay the debt. Having never been in this position before, the representative feared the continuation of the alternative lunch into next year. Knowing people would be wary of donating to two teenage boys, we did the research and the work to move toward creating our own nonprofit. It took a long time, and they don’t make it easy for minors, but we were finally approved by the State of Texas and then the IRS. A lot of paperwork later, we now run an official, tax-exempt 501(c)(3). We have done the work and set up the tools. All we need now is the community’s help to get the word out and achieve our goal. For more detailed information on our mission, motivation, and our future plans to make this a success, please check out our website at https://pfoodpfairness.org
