CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – Yay Lunch began feeding kids in one school five years ago, and now it has expanded to more than 170 schools.

“Parents see it as a great way to take a big task off their plate,” Yay Lunch President Derek Mansfield said.

Yay Lunch currently works with 7 schools and 12 vendors in Charlottesville.

“Kids love it because it’s just a really fun and exciting way to have lunch, and administrators at schools are over the moon because they basically don’t have to deal with lunch and they can focus on the thing that they really want to focus on, which is teaching,” Mansfield said.

Yay Lunch says it hopes to alleviate the stress on school staff.

“We’re trying to solve the problem for schools, and we’re making sure that they can provide healthy lunches for kids when the kids aren’t with their families.”

Both of Yay Lunch’s founders say that as parents, they understand the challenges surrounding school lunches.

“This is an age-old parent problem of getting your kids to eat when they’re not with you. You can either give them the things they like, or you could give them things that that you want them to have, but in any case, it’s a battle,” Mansfield said.

Yay Lunch allows kids to choose their lunch online while meeting parents’ nutritional standards.

“When they see our team walk in. The kids literally shout, ‘Yay Lunch!’ and so they’re really excited about the ability that they get something exciting every day for lunch. It’s new and different every day,” Mansfield said.

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