"(The date) gives the campaign an ending and a narrative for the people who have been involved so they can see directly where their contributions went," she said.

Steve Youngbauer, MMSD director of food and nutrition, said this is the first time he has seen a giving campaign dedicated to paying down overdue lunch balances.

“It is another display of the generosity and kindness of the people in Madison and other areas,” he said. “I had a meeting this morning with our food service staff and they were really energized (by the campaign.) We really appreciate it.”

While Youngbauer was not able to disclose to the Cap Times the amount of the overdue meal balance across the district, he said that MMSD will make sure the funds raised are used for the families that need it most.

“We will look at trying to find cases of special need where (families) have built up negative balances. We will look for things like hardship cases, medical cases, or if a family has lost a home or a job,” Youngbauer said. “We will do some work internally to identify those families to make sure the funds get used in the best way possible.”