Throughout the 2024-25 school year, the cafeteria has been running out of ingredients to feed students who have D-lunch. D-lunch is the very last lunch period out of four, and it typically hosts students who are in Broadcasting, AP Calculus BC and Mr. Kardash’s weightlifting class. The lunch period a student has is determined by their fourth period teacher.

Many students have quickly taken notice of the shortage. “I would say that for my mental health, it makes it a tad bit worse as I can’t eat some food that the other lunches can, making me hungrier, which could lead to me having a worse day,” said senior and varsity wrestler Jaron Poole. Many other seniors, including #3 ranked Jaylin Hernandez, have been affected heavily by the lack of food. “As a wrestler [the lack of food] was not good because I would be really hungry during pratice (sic),” said Hernandez.

Athletes aren’t the only ones being affected negatively by this shortage. Calculus BC has always been during fourth period with D-lunch. “Since I usually eat a light breakfast or no breakfast at all on most days, I rely on lunch to fill me up so I won’t feel all out of energy and I can think straight,” said Bakari Gosha, a calculus 2 student. “Without that, I can’t properly focus on my work and it makes tasks like test taking a lot more difficult.” 

The Anderson Community Schools Food Service website says that for the 2024-2025 school year, “Anderson Community Schools will continue its participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).  All students will receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch free of charge.” With that in effect, Amar Thorns-Jackson, a senior culinary student, said “It is a LAW that ALL students are supposed to get food during lunch hour, and this shortage is borderline breaking said law (sic).”

This shortage of lunch is causing numerous students to go hungry. AHS Tribecast has attempted to email food service staff on multiple occasions, to which they did not reply.