From Your Neighbors

Economists call it the K-shaped economy, where some households thrive while others fall further behind. For school nutrition programs, the effects aren't abstract. They show up in the lunch line. Unpaid meal debt nationally jumped 49% in a single year, and a shrinking safety net means more families are falling into the gap between qualifying for help and affording full meal costs. Here's what the data shows, and where neighbors fit in.

A social media pledge drive to pay off school lunch debt sparked an idea: what if that generosity could be channeled through a 501(c)3, giving donors a tax receipt while keeping individual student accounts anonymous? Two years later, after life got in the way more than once, that idea became Neighbors for Schools, Inc. Here's the story of how an informal act of kindness became a structured way to help Metro Atlanta schools and families.

Starting in 2026, you can deduct up to $1,000 ($2,000 if filing jointly) in cash donations even without itemizing. Here's what the new rule means for donors, what records to keep, and how giving to Neighbors for Schools may now offer a tax benefit.