EMMETT, Idaho — Students in the Emmett School District won't have to worry about paying off their school lunch debt anymore.
The Emmett School District shared on its Facebook page this week that a community member donated $14,000 to pay off all current outstanding meal charges for students in the Emmett School District.
“We have certainly seen an uptick in outstanding meal charges this year,” explained Superintendent Craig Woods. “That is likely due to the fact that COVID Relief Waivers allowed for free meals for all students for the last two years, and now, those waivers are no longer available for our students.”
Despite the inability to pay, Emmett School District Food Service Staff will still serve students regardless of account standing.
“We will always feed our students at school - regardless of their account status. Students will not be hungry while they are at school,” Woods said in the social media post.
“The donor requested to remain anonymous, and they wanted no recognition - just wanted to be a help to our schools,” explained Child Nutrition Director, Tyree White. “They are local business owners and have a heart for this community. What a privilege it is to live and work in this community.”
The district says just two weeks ago, they received another donation from a local business for $1,000 to go towards student meal accounts.
Child Nutrition Administrative Assistant, Sherri Olson said, “We are so excited to see how the Emmett community has jumped in to help our school families with the overwhelming burden of their meal accounts. Each and every donation we have received is a gift, and we are so grateful!”
