“Act of kindness” raises thousands of dollars to tackle school l

“Act of kindness” raises thousands of dollars to tackle school lunch debt

What started with a Facebook post turned into something much bigger for Mike Drummond and the Girard community. Drummond says he asked for suggestions from his online friends, for an “act of kindness” to perform in celebration of his birthday.

“My friend immediately said lunch debts needed paid off. I said ‘okay’,” Drummond recalls.

It was after Drummond reached out to the district’s lunch room manager to coordinate the plan that he learned the total for the lunch debts was over six hundred dollars.

Within two days, Drummond estimates he’s received well over two thousand dollars – thanks to an outpouring of support in response to his social media posts. “I do things like this a lot,” Drummond adds. “It feels good that more and more people support me every time I do it.”

Drummond tells 21 News he plans to keep collecting donations through Tuesday, February 20. After the totals are in, he says it will all go towards the district’s Angel Fund- which is reserved for settling any unresolved lunch debts at the end of each school year. The money left over from paying off the district’s current debt will remain in that fund for future use.

Girard’s lunch room manager tells 21 News the Angel Fund is currently empty – as many more debts accrued when covid-era lunch assistance came to an end.

Superintendent Bryan O’Hara explains, no matter the balance or overage on a student’s lunch account, Girard’s lunch staff will never turn a hungry student away. And while the schools do send periodic reminders to parents of any debts owed in the cafeteria, the administration understands the debt could be for any reason from a forgotten payment to times of hardship. O’Hara adds, he appreciates the community’s willingness to step in and support the school.

“It kind of is in line with our motto here at Girard, you know. We’re Girard, we’re family, we take care of each other. It’s just a reflection, I think, of the spirit of the community and the school district,” O’Hara tells 21 News.