SALT LAKE CITY — A new Utah specialty license plate offers drivers an automatic way to help eliminate millions of dollars in student lunch debt across the state.
The blue “Feed Utah Kids” plate, which went on sale Oct. 6, directs $30 from each initial purchase and annual registration renewal toward paying off unpaid school meal balances for Utah students.
“We all renew our registration every year, and we pay it on autopilot,” said DJ Bracken, founder and executive director of the Utah Lunch Debt Relief Foundation. “Now that same renewal helps kids. Set it up once, forget it, and it helps every year.”
The state’s overall school lunch debt climbed to $3.8 million last year, driven largely by working families who earn slightly above the threshold for federal free lunch programs, according to the foundation.
A new plate costs $53.75, with $30 designated for lunch debt and $23.75 covering Division of Motor Vehicles production, shipping, and registration fees. The DMV collects the contributions and forwards them to the nonprofit, which allocates the funds to pay off outstanding district balances.
Foundation officials estimate that 75 active plates generate $2,250 annually — enough to clear the $2,200 debt owed by an average Utah school. A group of 500 plates raises $15,000 a year, covering approximately seven schools annually. More than 500 residents pre-registered for the plate prior to its public launch.
Bracken established the 501(c)(3) nonprofit in June 2024 after learning his local elementary school district carried $88,000 in meal debt. Since its founding, the organization has cleared debt at more than 80 schools and supported 2025 state legislation that expanded free lunches to roughly 40,000 students.
Drivers can order the custom plates online at utldr.org/plate, by mail, or in person at any DMV office.