CLINTON - It's a weekly ritual for Kathleen Frick to visit the ATM machine and withdraw money for her kids' school lunches.

"I would always forget during the week to set aside money for that," she said.

Soon, she won't have to make the trip, thanks to the new Lunch Box Program that provides a computerized lunch payment option for Clinton Junior High School.

The program was purchased with money raised by The Write Stuff for Kids Inc., of which Frick is the director and treasurer.

Parents will be able to pay for their children's lunches in advance, eliminating the need to send cash to school. Students enter a personal identification code to access their lunch money.

"You have a swipe card and the school employee will see the student's picture, the student's ID number and the balance available," Frick said. "For children who have free or reduced-lunch plans, no one except that school employee will see it. Kids at the junior high age, especially, can get picked on or teased about being on a free or reduced payment plan and this way, other students will never know because all cards look the same."

The program allows parents to pay as much in advance as they wish. Any unused balance can be transferred into the next school year or remain at that school for a younger sibling.

The program was purchased for $4,150. The group hopes to raise enough money to install one in the high school before the start of the 2008-2009 school year.

"We are so thankful for this gift and see so many useful benefits for the students and staff here at the junior high," said Clinton Junior High Principal John Pine. "This is one of the areas that every junior high school struggles with and for us to have this program is very much appreciated."

In the past six years, Write Stuff for Kids Inc. has helped DeWitt County school districts with a number of projects. The group has donated thousands of dollars worth of school supplies through fundraising projects and gifts from corporate donors.

"This group has been a wonderful tool for us," said Superintendent Jeff Holmes. "Each year, they bring us terrific ideas and have really made life for our students so much better. We have looked into a program like this before, but when they first came out, it was about $40,000. So to have them donate it, we feel like it's a $40,000 benefit to us."