A Florida man decided to make a real difference in his local community by wiping away the lunch debt of every child in the district.
After discovering that over 400 students in his neighborhood were unable to receive a full meal due to the outstanding debt, Andrew Levy said he felt compelled to act.
“Food is something that you shouldn’t have to think about. Children shouldn’t have to learn hunger,” he told CBS Miami 4. “These children that were in debt were going to either not eat or they would get just cheese sandwiches and I thought that’s crazy.”
Levy has only lived in the South Florida area since 2014 and does not have any children in the school district. Still, that didn’t stop him from footing the outstanding bill of $944.34.
The real estate agent posted about his act of kindness on Facebook, which sparked a chain reaction across Palm Beach County. Soon, hundreds of people were offering to contribute financially to wipe away school lunch debt in their community — a deficit that totals some $51,000, according to the school district’s website.
“I even have had some clients over the past 48 hours say, ‘You know something, I want to help, I want to give too,’” Levy added.
According to a spokesman for the district, almost $9,000 has already been donated this year, including a $5,000 one-off gift made earlier this year. Now convinced that the entire balance can be reduced to zero, Levy says he plans to launch a fundraising campaign in the coming months.
“Every quarter I’m going to do either a GoFundMe page or a fundraising page that can raise money every quarter so the lunch debt never accumulates,” he said.
Many have taken to Andrew’s Facebook to show their personal appreciation for his generous donation.
“I want to thank you for generosity, these kids will never forget your kindness,” one person wrote. “No kid should ever have to go hungry while at school so let’s make this happen in every city and in every state!!!” another added.
“I remember being a kid and being denied lunch because of this. You, sir, are a grand example of goodwill.”
You can contribute to the school lunch debt donations yourself by heading here.