Truth FIles with Jane Velez-Mitchell: Why This Vegan School Has a Beef with Uncle Sam

 

Welcome to UnchainedTV's Truth Files, the podcast where we explore groundbreaking stories in plant-based nutrition, school food reform, and compassionate living.

Today’s episode takes you inside Solid Rock Community School in Florida, one of only two schools in the entire United States to offer a 100% plant-based lunch program. At Solid Rock, lunch isn’t just a midday break—it’s a movement for student health, sustainability, and animal welfare.

Award-winning journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell sits down with Solid Rock’s Founder and Director, Michele Fasnacht, to uncover the inspiring story behind this pioneering school’s fight to serve healthy, dairy-free, plant-based meals to every student—despite outdated federal policies that still require dairy to receive funding from the National School Lunch Program.

🌱 The Dairy Dilemma
Even though nearly 68% of people are lactose intolerant, U.S. school lunch rules still mandate dairy with every meal. For kids who can’t digest lactose, that carton of milk can mean stomach pain, discomfort, and serious digestive issues.

Solid Rock has taken a bold stand by serving fresh, chef-prepared, fully plant-based meals without dairy or animal products. But because of this choice, they lose about $4 in government reimbursement for every meal—a huge financial challenge when nearly half their students come from low-income families.

🥗 A Vision for Healthy, Compassionate Meals
“At Solid Rock, we believe every child deserves nourishing, compassionate food,” says Fasnacht. Their professional chefs prepare meals daily using whole foods, vibrant produce, and ingredients harvested from the school’s own garden. For many students, this is their only reliable source of fresh, plant-based nutrition.

💪 Fighting for Policy Change
Solid Rock is working to gain an exemption from the National School Lunch Program that would reimburse their dairy-free, plant-based meals. If approved, it could create a model for other schools nationwide to follow—redefining what’s possible in public education and school nutrition.

💚 How You Can Help
Your support can make a direct impact:

• $7 feeds one student for a day

• $35 provides a week of lunches

• $140 covers one month

• $1,260 sponsors a full school year

Any amount helps keep this life-changing program going.
👉 Donate here: https://solidrockcommunityschool.org/donations

🌟 A Message of Change
“This isn’t just about lunch,” Fasnacht says. “It’s about equity, health, and creating a more compassionate world—starting with our kids.”

Tune in to hear how Solid Rock Community School is inspiring a nationwide conversation about healthy school meals, plant-based diets, and food justice.

🎧 Listen now on UnchainedTV.

More about our host:

Jane Velez-Mitchell is an award-winning journalis