Granger ISD receives $5K donation to assist in school lunch debt

GRANGER, TEXAS - School districts across the country have been getting generous donations to help assist school lunch debt.

A nonprofit group called the School Lunch Fairy dropped off a $5,000 check to Granger ISD.

"So, they basically were just kind of giving us a number that they would love to be able to help with some school lunch debt. And then we realized the amount that we had, and then they gave even more," says Granger ISD superintendent Jeni Neatherlin.

Granger ISD superintendent Jeni Neatherlin says in previous school years the school district was able to provide free lunch to students. However, during this past school year, the federal money given to schools to provide free meals fell through.  

"But right now, the reality is that we are inflation has gotten everybody to the point where just going to buy groceries and just being able to provide for the everyday needs is very tough," says Neatherlin.

That’s where the School Lunch Fairy stepped in and helped Granger ISD.

"Schools are having trouble paying off lunch debt or accumulating balances. And so, they reached out to us asking for help, and it was pretty easy to process from there. We just spoke to them for a little bit, and then we were able to send a donation on over," says Christian Cordell co-founder of School Lunch Fairy.

Christian Cordell started this nonprofit after seeing kids dealing with food insecurity at home. The nonprofit donates funds to school districts, so they can set up emergency funds or eliminate school lunch debt to allow students to get a healthy meal.

 "I think it's really important that people understand. But, you know, not everyone has the privilege to have lunch at school. And so being able to help those kids out makes a really big difference in their overall well-being and probably academic performance as well," says Cordell.

The nonprofit runs on donations. If you would like to help, click here.