Utah 'Feed Utah Kids' License Plate On Sale in October: $30 a Year Goes to Student Lunch Debt
Utah drivers can now choose a special "Feed Utah Kids" license plate when renewing their vehicle registration, with $30 a year going directly to pay down public school students' lunch debt statewide. According to The City Journals on October 21, the plate went on sale at the Utah DMV in October, coinciding with National School Lunch Week.
DJ Bracken, founder of the Utah Lunch Debt Relief Foundation, started the foundation in 2024, when Utah public schools had accumulated nearly $3 million in unpaid lunch debt. That figure grew to $3.6 million in 2025 and is expected to exceed $4 million in 2026. The foundation partners with businesses and community partners to pay off debts one school or district at a time, but has struggled to keep up with demand. Bracken worked for more than a year to get the plate designed and approved.
The plate costs $53.75, of which $30 goes to lunch debt relief and the remaining $23.75 covers the DMV's plate, shipping and registration fees. Once purchased, the plate renews automatically each year, sending another $30 to the fund, and drivers can also order through the foundation's website, which links to the DMV order form. All proceeds go to paying off student lunch balances; the foundation has cleared lunch debt for more than 80 Utah schools since 2024.
"Most lunch debt belongs to working families who earn just over the line for free lunch," Bracken said. "Their kids sit next to yours in class and play on your kids' teams. This plate is a way to help them."
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 犹他州议会大厦（Salt Lake City），Mangoman88 摄，CC0，Wikimedia Commons / Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, by Mangoman88, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
