NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — Right now there's a push to pay local students' lunch money debt.
The lunch hour. It's when kids re-energize and socialize. And, while these students are chowing down, some are also racking up the debt.
"And the kids feel it," Keri Libby said.
Libby, who lives more than 2,000 miles away, raised about $1,000 to cover some of the lunch debt in Nassau County.
"I wrote the check this morning, put it in the mail, so it's on the way to Nassau County," she said.
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Libby, who is from Hilliard, heard about the thousands of dollars students owed in unpaid lunch tabs on social media. She started a GoFundMe that quickly gained attention.
"This issue has sparked a lot of good conversation in the county," Libby said.
Action News Jax reached out to other area schools to see how much lunch money debt students had last school year. Duval County said it was just under $7,500.
This month, the school district told Action News Jax a number of community partners came together to pay it off.
Clay County sent the following statement:
The negative balance for the 2018-2019 school year is $32,258.65. When parents make a payment, the payment is first applied to the negative balance. The remaining amount is credited to the account. Negative balances not paid are taken as a loss by the Food and Nutrition Services Department. Anyone in the community can donate to our Food and Nutrition Services Department. Individuals interested in donating can contact the schools Cafeteria Manager or the Director of Food and Nutrition Services.
The St. Johns County School District told Krycka that the school lunch debt for them was $33,000 for the 2018-2019 school year.
In Glynn County, a father raised more than $6,000 – enough to wipe out lunch money debt at more than a dozen schools.
It's a movement that's really taken off.
"I just want kids to feel lifted up and to start their school year off on a positive note, that they don't have this weight to carry around them," Libby said.
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