A church in Texas has extended a generous blessing of kindness to a local school district by paying off student lunch debt. According to CBN News, the community of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas is paying off $24,000 worth of lunch debt accrued in the 2022-2023 school year for the Austin Independent School District (AISD). The church has also committed to pay the remainder of the lunch debt for the rest of the year.
The church recognizes the efforts made by the school district to ensure no child goes hungry while at school. Primary and junior high school students can charge up to three meals when they don’t have the money. High school students are only able to charge up to two meals. When the student reaches their limit, the school district will provide courtesy lunches for them, however, they do not have the funds to pay for those lunches. According to AISD, they serve over 60,000 meals on a daily basis.
Whitney Bell, the church’s mission director, shared on the church’s blog, “Our hope is we fill a gap that other folks haven’t been able to fill, that kids have one less thing to be concerned about,” adding, “We hope Covenant shows our school district that we love and care for all students, especially the kids stuck in the middle who can’t afford lunch but may not qualify for free or reduced lunch.”
Senior Pastor Thomas Daniel of the church explained that upon learning that children are being prevented from fully participating in their school because of going hungry due to debt, his congregation knew that they had to help. Daniel is proud of his congregation for stepping up and helping these children not just fill their stomachs during their school day, but also helping them get on a path towards success.