At Valley Oaks Elementary School in Houston, Texas, if a student has a negative balance on their lunch accounts, they are given a cold cheese sandwich instead of a warm tray of food. As television affiliate KPRC reports, more than 60 students couldn’t afford to pay the 40 cents a day that would allow them a hot meal. When local tutor and mentor Kenny Thompson learned about the reduced lunch program at his son’s school, he sprung to action.
Thompson, who has worked with Valley Oaks students for 10 years, opened up his own wallet and paid off the $465 needed to zero out the delinquent accounts. “These are elementary school kids. They don’t need to be worried about finances,” he told KPRC. “They need to be worried about what grade they got in spelling.”
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According to the report, Thompson learned that many of these kids would rather go hungry than be seen with their reduced meals. Can you imagine how these kids felt as they ate their meager lunches in front of their better-off classmates? Thompson’s generous gesture ensured that all students at his school were getting the nutrition they need to stay healthy. “When I left the building knowing that they were getting fed, they didn’t have that stress,” he said. “The best money I ever spent.” We couldn’t agree more.