Food+Drink Community Orgs

A Bomb Cause: Chippewa Falls taco shop leads campaign to pay student lunch debt

Lauren Fisher, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

From 11am–7pm Friday (May 11) and from noon–8pm Saturday (May 12), you can enjoy a sizzling Deutsch Family Farm pork taco with creamy queso, crunchy coleslaw and locally foraged ramp vinaigrette – all while helping pay off Chippewa Falls student lunch debt. At the suggestion of counter attendant Britni Sullivan, Royce Roberts, owner of Bomb Tacos at 504 N Bridge Street in Chippewa Falls, is donating $300 and 10 percent of the shack’s sales from this week to the Chippewa Falls School District to pay off remaining lunch debt so that parents and students can head into summer with fewer worries.

"We’ve all been at a point where life isn’t easy and a hand would be appreciated. We just want to do our part to make sure no child has to go hungry while they’re at school.” – Britni Sullivan

When Sullivan and Roberts began plotting on Wednesday, they thought they could pay off one school’s debt. But after contacting the school district, Roberts found the total debt of all Chippewa Falls School District lunch programs was about $1,300, far less than he expected.  “I’m sure that if we got other people involved, we could knock this out in one weekend,” he thought.

Roberts reached out to Chippewa Falls Main Street to spread the word, and soon other businesses were on board.  Lacey’s Lingerie at 101 N. Bridge Street is accepting donations in-store and via Paypal to support the cause.

Roberts hopes to be able to pay off the student lunch debt by next week.  “Just be good to your neighbors,” he said.

"We’ve all been at a point where life isn’t easy and a hand would be appreciated,” Sullivan said in a public Facebook post promoting the fundraiser. "We just want to do our part to make sure no child has to go hungry while they’re at school."

For more information, check out Bomb Taco's Facebook page.