Local Organizations Pay Off Lunch Balances
Georgetown ISD received a donation this week from Christ Lutheran Church in Georgetown to pay off lunch balances for a number of students across the district.
“We know loving our neighbor starts by listening to our neighbor and being ready to respond,” said Pastor Drew Ingram. “When we heard about families falling behind on paying for student meals at school, we were ready to share our love for our community, our families, and feeding people.”
The church takes up a special collection on every 5th Sunday of the month, selecting a different cause to support each time. Initially, they hoped to support families at Wolf Ranch Elementary, Purl Elementary and Tippit Middle School, campuses they consider neighborhood campuses to their congregation; however, their collection far exceeded their expectations. $2,360 was collected and will be applied to hundreds of account balances across six campuses in the district.
Meanwhile, the team from the Georgetown branch of A+ Federal Credit Union also stopped by Mitchell Elementary School with a $1,000 check to pay off lunch balances for students at that campus.
“We’re excited to build stronger communities by continuing our tradition of paying off school lunch balances as part of our A+ Gives community giveback initiative,” Said Eric R. Kase, A+FCU President/CEO. “With 1 in 8 Texans experiencing food insecurity, we hope this provides some relief to students and families in Georgetown ISD, one of our long-time partner districts.”
While public school districts often provide critical resources for enrolled students and their families, schools can’t always do it alone. It takes a village.
“We are truly thankful for the support of our community who recognize the needs of our students,” said Kirby Campbell, executive director for support services. “We continue to see families fall behind on meal payments since government programs ceased after the pandemic. Gifts like this really help.”
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Photo – Christ Lutheran Church donation
Families can qualify for free or reduced lunch prices by completing the Free and Reduced Lunch application. Districts statewide have seen a decline in the number of applications being turned in.
Qualifying families can receive more than discounted meals for their students. The application helps determine Title 1 funding for public schools and can help students pay for fees associated with extra curricular activities, college admissions tests and applications and more.
The percentage of economically disadvantaged students in GISD, as determined by those qualifying for free or reduced lunch, is 42%.
