Lexington fudge shop owner raises $40K to help with local school meal debt

A Lexington fudge shop owner is looking to help Fayette County Public Schools resolve school meal debt, raising $40,000 this year for Fayette County students.

After his shop’s TikTok account began generating extra income, Adam Dahl, founder of Dahlhus Fudge, launched the Dahlhus Fund last year. He’s dedicating 100% of revenue from his TikToks to cancel school meal debt in FCPS.

“I got to a point where my account was about to monetize, and I decided any money that I make from this, I want to go ahead and pay it off,” Dahl said. “I had no idea what I was doing or how much debt there even was.”

Dahl started the fund with around 1,800 followers and raised $12,000 for FCPS during the Spring 2025 semester. Now, with more than 87,000 followers, he is on track to erase more than 60% of the district’s meal debt for the 2025-26 school year.

The $40,000 year-end grant will be submitted to the FCPS nutrition office as soon as the final $12,000 check from Council Member Emma Curtis’s office clears, Dahl said.

Curtis said she decided to support the cause soon after discovering Dahl’s videos online.

“The phrase ‘school lunch debt’ should not exist. I think it’s a systemic failure that we’re not acknowledging. A hungry kid can’t learn,” Curtis said. “I think Adam is living proof of the impact that any of us can have when we decide that we’re going to be a good neighbor, and even if our institutions aren’t doing right by our kids, that we can do right by them.”

Dahl said he never thought his videos, typically featuring him headbanging and dancing to ‘90s and 2000s pop-punk music while cooking fudge, would make an impact. Still, he’s glad he decided to, as Dahlhus Fudge’s official merch says, “fudge around and find out.”

The idea started after Dahl saw other TikTok creators, including a Utah teacher and a man in North Carolina, using their platforms to pay off school meal debt.

For Dahl, the work is personal. He has two children in Fayette County schools, and his shop sits on the same block as their elementary school.

“The thought of somebody in my shoes, a dad, or, you know, maybe my kids’ friends, either being hungry or being weirded out about going to the lunch line and not having any money. It doesn’t really sit right with me,” Dahl said. “I thought, if this is something I can do, I’m going to do it.”

The Bluegrass Community Foundation houses the nonprofit and helps coordinate with the district to ensure money reaches students in need.

“I’ve kind of just said start with the highest balances, and/or seniors who might be at risk of not getting their diploma because they have money on their accounts,” Dahl said. “Take care of the ones that need it the most, not the families that might have lower balances, because there are some kids that have a $600 balance that just haven’t paid a dime all year. Their family just can’t afford it.”

FCPS Child Nutrition Director Michelle Coker said Tuesday the year-end meal debt was $62,760.36, meaning Dahl’s donation would erase most of it.

The amount, he said, reflects a mix of policy and personal barriers: shrinking meal budgets, complicated funding streams and families who either don’t know about assistance programs or are reluctant to apply.

He explained that the federal government and USDA set budgets for how much they are willing to pay for a meal and how much each state receives, then states and districts divide those funds among schools.

“The budgets for those things just nationally has gone down significantly in the last two years,” Dahl said.

On the family side, Dahl said, stigma and fear can keep parents from filling out forms that might qualify their children for free or reduced-price meals.

“There’s just a stigma with asking for help,” he said. “Some parents just probably don’t make enough money to pay for their kids’ lunches, but they still feel maybe a little bit of shame in applying, or don’t know how.”

As his campaign, titled “#feedthekids” gained more traction, Dahl began hosting community events to fundraise. That includes fun runs, trivia nights and, coming this July, a Beer Mile in collaboration with Mirror Twin Brewing.

“If I’m going to ask you to help me fundraise, I want to have fun events,” Dahl said.

He said the effort makes him feel good, but what matters more is that he’s not doing it alone. “It feels the best knowing that Lexington has my back for it. They’re willing to help me do this, like, I’m not doing this by myself at all,” Dahl said. “People are participating in the things we’re doing and they’re donating their money to this. I’m just the guy weird enough to try to organize it.”

FCPS explains school meal debt

Students accrue debt on their accounts when they receive meals — breakfast or lunch — but do not have money in their meal account and do not qualify for free/reduced meal benefits, Coker said.

Schools continue serving meals to ensure students have access to nutritious food during the school day, which can result in unpaid meal charges accumulating overtime. Families are notified weekly when meal account balances become delinquent. Schools and the FCPS website also provide information and resources to assist families with applying for free or reduced-price meal benefits if they may qualify. School Nutrition Programs operate as an enterprise fund, meaning it is expected to be financially self-supporting. Program revenues, including federal reimbursement, student meal payments, a la carte sales and adult meal sales, must cover all expenses associated with providing meals. Expenses include food, labor, supplies, equipment, repairs and any other operational costs associated with the program, Coker told the Herald-Leader Tuesday. “As a school district, we are committed to ensuring that every student has access to breakfast and/or lunch each school day,” Coker said. “Because meals are provided regardless of student’s meal account balance, it naturally creates a financial impact on our school nutrition program and the school district. “

“We never want the cost of school meals to create additional stress for families, and we are thankful for the community partners like Mr. Dahl and those who support his effort to reduce this balance for FCPS. These partnerships strengthen our district and reflect the generosity, compassion, and commitment that make our community so special,” Coker said.