Our Story
UTLDR was founded in 2024, when DJ Bracken, a Utah father, learned that kids across the state were facing $2.8 million in collective school lunch debt. Imagining his own daughter skipping lunch or struggling to concentrate in class due to hunger, DJ felt compelled to act.
DJ requested a list of school lunch debts in each Jordan School District elementary school. He began paying them off one-by-one, starting with Bluffdale Elementary, then moving on to Oakcrest. This initiative laid the groundwork for the Utah Lunch Debt Relief Foundation.
Today, UTLDR’s mission is to eliminate school lunch debt in Utah, once and for all. Our team works tirelessly to build relationships with schools, identify needs, and direct funds for efficient, effective impact. We continue to pay off Utah lunch debts school-by-school, while pursuing a permanent solution to the accumulation of debt.
We won't stop until we find a solution for all students across Utah districts, ensuring no child goes hungry at school or faces lunch debt.
Meet The Board
DJ Bracken
FOUNDER
CO-FOUNDERMarcus Arroyo
Jesse Fankhauser
CO-FOUNDER