The holidays came early for one Topeka-area school after an anonymous “Santa” stopped by and paid off the lunch debt of all of its students.
A long-time supporter of Tecumseh South Elementary School donated $510 to pay of the negative balances of any families at the school.
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Principal Scott Dial called the donation “a blessing,” but not an unexpected one from the donor.
“The community has been very involved in our school for multiple years, and the person had helped out before COVID, and after the pandemic when lunches were free, this is the first year in a few that parents have had to pay,” Dial said.
The donation pays for the debt of more than 50 students, Dial said. At full price, that’s nearly 200 lunches, while in terms of 40-cent reduced-price lunches, the donation covers more than 1,200 meals.
Anonymous lunch debt donations are common at Shawnee Heights USD 450, but not publicized
In fact, the donation isn’t even the first one this year at Tecumseh South, said Shawnee Heights USD 450 food service director Tara Cox. Another donor had, also anonymously, donated $100 earlier this year to pay off outstanding meal debt.
Elsewhere in the district, Tecumseh North, Shawnee Heights and Berryton elementary schools have received $887, $275 and $505 respectively since the start of the school year.
More:Kansas schools served millions of free meals during pandemic
The district does not tend to broadcast negative balance amounts, Cox said, but donors seem to keenly understand that there’s a need, and they give out of a deep appreciation for the work schools do to not only educate but feed children in the community.
One donor mentioned that they had chosen to pay off lunch debts after seeing a Facebook post that encouraged community members to give to schools, rather than pay for the meal or drinks of someone behind them in the drive-thru.
“A lot of people do it in place of Christmas gifts, and to teach their children that this is a good way to give,” Cox said.
Nearly half of all Kansas public school students need lunch assistance this year
After two years of universally free breakfast and lunch for all U.S. children, families have had to pay for school meals again this fall after Congress declined to extend a pandemic waiver that expanded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ability to fund free meals.
In Kansas, the number of public school students eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch under the federal program ticked back up this year to 48.3%, according to recently released data from the Kansas State Department of Education.
At Shawnee Heights USD 450, overall participation in the free- and reduced-price lunch program has gone up, which Cox said was “wonderful” because it meant that fewer children are going through the school day hungry, but negative account balances have correspondingly increased as well.
At Tecumseh South, nearly two in five students receive free- or reduced-price lunch, and principal Dial said the donation will come as a tremendous surprise for the families it helps.
“It’s impactful (to families),” he said. “It helped out a total of 53 students. We didn’t contact each parent, but I’m sure when they open up the balance and see how that’s been taken care of, I know they’ll appreciate it.”
Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at 785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.
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