The idea of a child going hungry throughout a school day is both heartbreaking and aggravating.

However, a sign that greets students walking through the cafeteria line at Nashua High School South each day seems to make the predicament for hungry children even worse.

The sign reads: “No money – no lunch or breakfast!”

A pair of teachers at the school reports approximately 100 students regularly go without food throughout the day. This is because their families are not poor enough to qualify for the National School Lunch Program, yet the children do not have sufficient funds to purchase food.

“It’s so sad,” Nashua South marketing teacher Suzanne Winters told our reporter.

However, thanks to the help of three schoolmates – Jenna Hantula, Patrick Martin, and Sawyer Cosgrove – these students may not be hungry much longer. On Monday, Nashua Board of Education members voted 8-0 to accept the three students’ fundraising proposal, known as Meals Matter.

The group aims to raise $30,000, which its organizers believe will cover 10,000 lunches this year. Winters said the group needed approval from the board because of a rule that states any contribution in excess of $5,000 must have board authorization.

“The primary goal of this project is to spike a positive change in our school, expanding to benefit the city of Nashua,” Hantula told board members during her presentation Monday.

We salute the efforts to these students to both recognize the problem and also work toward solving it. We urge members of the community to consider helping this worthy project.