A mother who was fired from her job as an elementary school kitchen manager after giving away free lunches is taking a stand this week, saying current school policy humiliates hungry students.

Della Curry, a mother of two, was hired as a kitchen manager for the Cherry Creek School District in Colorado last July. Before starting at Dakota Valley Elementary, a job she took after her kids entered the school district, Curry worked in the restaurant industry as a chef. "Nutritious food is a passion of mine," she tells Yahoo Parenting. But in her job as kitchen manager, she often had to give kids food that she says was anything but nutritious. "Parents put money on their kids' accounts, and if they don't qualify for the free or reduced lunch program, they are allowed to go negative on their accounts and borrow about $7.60, which is about three lunches," Curry says. "After that, if they don't have money for lunch, they get one slice of processed cheddar cheese – or, they say it's cheddar though it's got a two-year shelf life – on a hamburger bun and a small milk."