A new Utah license plate will funnel $30 a year toward school lunch debt, including at Granite School District schools where unpaid balances exceeded $940,000 as of May.

The "Feed Utah Kids" plate went on sale at the Utah DMV on Tuesday, Oct. 6. It costs $53.75, with $30 going to the Utah Lunch Debt Relief Foundation. Each annual renewal sends another $30 to pay down school lunch balances across the state.

The foundation is pushing orders during National School Lunch Week, which runs Monday, Oct. 12, through Friday, Oct. 16.

More than 500 drivers signed up before the plate launched, Gephardt Daily reported. A typical school the foundation pays off owes about $2,200. Seventy-five plates clear one school's debt. Five hundred plates raise $15,000 a year, enough for about seven schools.

Why it matters in Millcreek

Granite School District's lunch debt topped $940,000 as of May 2026, according to the Millcreek Journal. The district serves 7,500 breakfasts and 24,500 lunches each day. Lunch prices rank among the state's lowest: $1.50 for elementary students, $1.65 for junior high and $1.75 for high school.

No child in the district is denied a meal because of debt. Students who qualify for reduced-price lunch have received meals at no charge for the past decade, supported by state grant funds. But unpaid balances still drain school budgets.

DJ Bracken, the foundation's executive director and a Kearns resident, told the Millcreek Journal in May that unpaid lunch debt cuts into money meant for teachers, field trips and supplies. "It's not like they can just magically summon the money," he said.

When a Granite District student's debt hits $500, or when a student leaves the district, the balance goes to a third-party debt collector. Seniors with lunch debt cannot walk at graduation, though the district has used donations to clear those balances first.

Statewide picture

As of March 2026, 695 Utah schools carried a combined $3.4 million in lunch debt, with Salt Lake County high schools facing tens of thousands of dollars in debt, ABC4 reported. The statewide total reached $3.8 million last year.

Bracken founded the nonprofit in June 2024 after reading that Utah schools owed $2.8 million. His first move: paying off Bluffdale Elementary's $835 balance by check and posting the receipt online. Donors sent $10,000 within a month.

Since then, the foundation has raised more than $300,000 and cleared debt at more than 80 schools. It also helped pass House Bill 100, the 2025 state law that made lunch free for about 40,000 students and banned lunch shaming. The foundation's charter says it will close when Utah's lunch debt reaches zero.

How to order

Drivers can order the plate at utldr.org/plate, at any DMV office or by mail. The online process takes about five minutes and requires the last name on the registration, ZIP code, last four digits of the VIN and current plate number. The plate is available for cars, trucks and trailers and can be personalized with up to six letters and numbers.

"Set it up once, forget it, and it helps every year," Bracken said.