It’s no secret that Kentucky children go hungry every year. More precisely, Kentucky’s School Lunch debt is more than $110 million.

In wealthy Fayette County, school lunch debt tops $35,000. School lunch debt refers to unpaid balances for school lunches, which can occur when students don’t have sufficient funds in their accounts, or cash on hand to pay for their school meals.

FCPS Spokesperson Dia Davidson Smith explained in a statement to WLEX newschannel 18, “When students without sufficient funds on their account receive a meal, their account goes into a deficit, as FCPS continues to provide them with a full meal. Families are expected to cover the charges for these meals, but if they do not, the district must absorb the cost within the general budget.”

Dahlhus Fudge (pronounced Doll-Hoos) is a small batch artisanal fudge shop located in the heart of Lexington’s Woodland Triangle, near Woodland Park — a nest of thriving small, locally-owned mom-and-pop shops. Around the corner is Maxwell Elementary, with one of Fayette County’s highest reported school lunch debts, exceeding $5000.

When owner Adam Dahl began generating revenue from the Fudge Shop’s TikTok account, he decided to allocate that money to the goal of retiring Fayette County’s school lunch debt. Word soon got around, and soon, friends and neighbors and customers were dropping by the shop to donate to the effort.

From there, a fund has been established with the Bluegrass Community Foundation, and Dahl formed a team that will run in the Lunch Lady Hustle 5k on May 10, 2025 at Coldstream Park.

Lexington Families readers who’d like to support the cause can get involved:

  • Sign up to join the Dahlhūs Fudge Race Team for the Lunch Lady Hustle 5k
  • Donate/sponsor the Race Team through the Dahlhūs Fund, a non-profit designated fund through the Bluegrass Community Foundation
  • Join the after-race after party at Wise Bird Cider on May 10, after the race.
As communities and businesses and individuals are being asked to do more with less in a fluctuating post-pandemic economy, Dahl has discovered a sweet spot. The shop will soon be celebrating its 2nd birthday, and we’ll share an update on the goal’s progress with Lexington Families’ readers.

Lexington Families is Lexington’s only print + online magazine dedicated entirely to central Kentucky’s multigenerational families. This story will appear on page 13 of the Neighborhoods Section of the 2025 Annual print edition of Lexington Families.