Arby's Foundation wipes out lunch debt for Decatur City Schools
Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images
DECATUR, Ga. - All Decatur students facing a new limited lunch plan have had their outstanding meal debt wiped out thanks to an overwhelming amount of help from the community and a new grant.
City Schools of Decatur announced earlier this month that starting on Feb. 1, the school system would begin serving an "alternative meal" of a cheese sandwich and milk to some students who have unpaid meal balances.
According to the updated procedures, students will have a maximum limit of three charged meals, equivalent to around $10.50 for high and middle school students and around $9.75 for elementary school students.
Once that maximum is reached, the students will receive the alternative lunch option until parents or guardians cover the debt.
School officials say the updated rules are about financial stability. The total unpaid lunch debt in the city is estimated to be around $88,000 - 36% of which is from students who receive free or reduced lunch.
After news of the new policy spread online, metro Atlanta resident and Goodr CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston set up a GoFundMe to eliminate all that debt.
"No child should ever go hungry or be subjected to unnecessary embarrassment due to financial constraints," Crowe-Houston wrote on the fundraiser. "I believe that every child deserves a full, nutritious meal to fuel their bodies and minds for a successful day of learning."
The GoFundMe met its goal within a couple of days.
Writing on Thursday, Crowe-Houston said her "heart is overwhelmed with emotion, astonishment, and gratitude" for the community's response.
"We can pay off all the meal balances and no cheese sandwiches," she wrote.
In a news release on Thursday, school officials said they were "grateful for the overwhelming support" and announced that all $88,000 in debt had been eliminated thanks to a corporate foundation grant. FOX 5 later learned that it was Arby's Foundation that paid off the debt. Arby's also donated $73,273 to Cobb County School District; $35,000 to Henry County School District; and $7,261 to Fulton County School District.
As a result of the corporate foundation grant, GoFundMe will be refunding everyone who donated to that account, according to Crowe-Houston.
Perimeter Roofing donated $60,000 to the school district through their nonprofit, Perimeter Cares, after learning about the debt. Owner Todd Price said that at least 100 people tagged them on social media after the story came out about the sandwiches.
Decatur schools say they also have finalized agreements to help provide assistance to any families of students who face financial hardships.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect what has happened in the last couple of days with the grant and GoFundMe account.
More than one school district in DeKalb County
In response to the overwhelming media attention after the decision by City Schools of Decatur Schools to offer cheese sandwiches to students who were behind on their school lunch bills, DeKalb County Schools, a separate district in the same county, released a statement on Thursday.
The district wanted to clarify any confusion between the districts and to proactively offer its policy for its school meals.
The full statement reads:
"There are two school districts in DeKalb County: the City Schools of Decatur and the DeKalb County School District (DCSD).
"DCSD offers healthy and nutritious meals to all students every school day. It is the longstanding practice across its schools that standard breakfast, lunch, and snack options are accessible to every student without any substitution or alternative menu options, regardless of their ability to pay or balance on their charge account.
"Meal charges are recorded, and paid lunch families receive weekly balance notifications. Payments can be made throughout the school year.
"DCSD has over 82% of students eligible for Free and Reduced meals. The District is committed to compassionately working with families to satisfy outstanding charges by offering payment plans, community funding, or government programs to reduce or entirely cover meal balances."