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| A Virginia church pays off meal debt at two school systems. They want others to follow suit. | A Virginia church pays off meal debt at two school systems. They want others to follow suit. |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The three Virginia pastors were stumped. | The three Virginia pastors were stumped. |
| It was late October, and the men were huddled inside an office trading ideas for their end-of-year charity project. Nothing stuck — until the Rev. Andrew Segre remembered the church in New Jersey. | It was late October, and the men were huddled inside an office trading ideas for their end-of-year charity project. Nothing stuck — until the Rev. Andrew Segre remembered the church in New Jersey. |
| He had read that the Liquid Church in Nutley, N.J., paid off all the meal debt accrued in that town’s public school system. He asked the room: Could Mount Ararat Baptist Church do the same in Stafford? | |
| “It seemed like a good idea, [but] we didn’t know if there was a need because no one ever seems to talk about this,” said the Rev. Jerry Williams, another pastor at Mount Ararat. “So we called the school systems. And gosh, wow, was there a need.” | “It seemed like a good idea, [but] we didn’t know if there was a need because no one ever seems to talk about this,” said the Rev. Jerry Williams, another pastor at Mount Ararat. “So we called the school systems. And gosh, wow, was there a need.” |
| Over the course of the next few days, Williams and the other pastors — Segre and the Rev. Brian Bennett — used more than $17,000 from Mount Ararat’s budget to pay off meal debt in two nearby school systems. Stafford County Public Schools received about $10,500, eliminating debt at several elementary schools, while Spotsylvania County Public Schools received close to $7,000, wiping out balances across the district. | Over the course of the next few days, Williams and the other pastors — Segre and the Rev. Brian Bennett — used more than $17,000 from Mount Ararat’s budget to pay off meal debt in two nearby school systems. Stafford County Public Schools received about $10,500, eliminating debt at several elementary schools, while Spotsylvania County Public Schools received close to $7,000, wiping out balances across the district. |
| Meal debt racks up when families cannot afford to pay for breakfast or lunch in school cafeterias — meals that on average cost about $1.50 (breakfast) and $2.50 (lunch), according to the School Nutrition Association, a national organization of school nutrition professionals. Though the prices may seem low, debt builds alarmingly over a semester, experts said. | Meal debt racks up when families cannot afford to pay for breakfast or lunch in school cafeterias — meals that on average cost about $1.50 (breakfast) and $2.50 (lunch), according to the School Nutrition Association, a national organization of school nutrition professionals. Though the prices may seem low, debt builds alarmingly over a semester, experts said. |
| Educators in Stafford and Spotsylvania said the unexpected boon came at a critical moment for students and parents staring down the end of the semester — and the financial burdens that come with the holiday season. | Educators in Stafford and Spotsylvania said the unexpected boon came at a critical moment for students and parents staring down the end of the semester — and the financial burdens that come with the holiday season. |
| “Food insecurity continues to be an issue for many of our families,” said René P. Daniels, a spokeswomanfor the Spotsylvania schools. | |
| The county is not alone. School meal debt in the United Statesis significant, widespread and getting worse. At the end of the 2017-2018 school year, about 75 percent of school districts nationally reported unpaid meal debt, according to the School Nutrition Association. The median amount of unpaid meal debt per school district was $2,500, marking a 70 percent increase from the 2012-2013 school year, the association found. | |
| Keana Butler, principal of Park Ridge Elementary School in Stafford, said she and her staff didn’t know what to expect when they opened an email from Bennett in early December asking how much meal debt students at the school had accumulated. The message promised assistance. They were skeptical — but hoping for help — they replied. | Keana Butler, principal of Park Ridge Elementary School in Stafford, said she and her staff didn’t know what to expect when they opened an email from Bennett in early December asking how much meal debt students at the school had accumulated. The message promised assistance. They were skeptical — but hoping for help — they replied. |
| “Then, about 20 minutes after we responded, Pastor Bennett showed up with a check,” Butler said. “It’s made it so much easier for us, because getting the debt paid is very difficult, and you don’t want to feel like you’re harassing parents.” | “Then, about 20 minutes after we responded, Pastor Bennett showed up with a check,” Butler said. “It’s made it so much easier for us, because getting the debt paid is very difficult, and you don’t want to feel like you’re harassing parents.” |
| Park Ridge received about $1,600, paying off students’ accumulated debt for the fall semester — a typical total for this time of year, Butler said. In her almost seven years as principal, Butler has seen parent-teacher groups and members of her own staff dip into their pockets to help reduce meal debt. | Park Ridge received about $1,600, paying off students’ accumulated debt for the fall semester — a typical total for this time of year, Butler said. In her almost seven years as principal, Butler has seen parent-teacher groups and members of her own staff dip into their pockets to help reduce meal debt. |
| But never has she seen a donation like the pastors’. | But never has she seen a donation like the pastors’. |
| “I was overwhelmed by the generosity,” Butler said. | “I was overwhelmed by the generosity,” Butler said. |
| Three other Stafford County schools also received donations: Kate Waller Barrett, Anne E. Moncure and Winding Creek Elementary schools. And Virginia is not the only state to see school meal debt canceled just in time for Christmas: Maryland-based Darcars Automotive Group announced this month that it will pay off all lunch debt accrued in Prince George’s County Public Schools, donating $25,000. | |
| Though the National School Lunch Program allows some students to access free or reduced-price meals, many families who barely fail to qualify for federal aid still struggle to pay for school breakfast and lunch five days a week, experts said. | |
| Inability to pay does not necessarily translate to inability to eat, however — school districts, loath to refuse food to students, often feed pupils anyway and charge their parents later. | Inability to pay does not necessarily translate to inability to eat, however — school districts, loath to refuse food to students, often feed pupils anyway and charge their parents later. |
| “We do not turn children away: No child at Park Ridge is not going to get a lunch,” Butler said. “But, unfortunately, it can become very costly for families.” | “We do not turn children away: No child at Park Ridge is not going to get a lunch,” Butler said. “But, unfortunately, it can become very costly for families.” |
| Mount Ararat Church’s donation surely brought peace of mind to cash-strapped students navigating the cafeteria, according to child-psychologist Rebecca R. Berry. Many young children are hyper-aware of socioeconomic status and easily grow ashamed of their family’s inability to pay for lunch, she said. | Mount Ararat Church’s donation surely brought peace of mind to cash-strapped students navigating the cafeteria, according to child-psychologist Rebecca R. Berry. Many young children are hyper-aware of socioeconomic status and easily grow ashamed of their family’s inability to pay for lunch, she said. |
| “The biggest feeling that comes out of these situations is, it’s a spotlight effect,” Berry said. “The kid thinks, people will notice that I don’t have enough and I’m different, and that creates a feeling of being ‘less than’ and, for some kids, that can impact self esteem.” | “The biggest feeling that comes out of these situations is, it’s a spotlight effect,” Berry said. “The kid thinks, people will notice that I don’t have enough and I’m different, and that creates a feeling of being ‘less than’ and, for some kids, that can impact self esteem.” |
| School meal debt is especially pronounced in the Washington region, The Washington Post found a year ago. As of December 2018, students across the District, Maryland and Virginia owed nearly a half-million dollars in meal debt, the Post analysis revealed. | |
| The pastors knew none of these statistics before this fall. Through careful research over the past few weeks, they’ve learned the basics of student meal debt — and become determined to fight the phenomenon. | The pastors knew none of these statistics before this fall. Through careful research over the past few weeks, they’ve learned the basics of student meal debt — and become determined to fight the phenomenon. |
| “This is just the beginning,” Williams said. | “This is just the beginning,” Williams said. |
| Mount Ararat plans to pay off the debt again, Williams said. The church typically sets aside 10 percent of its yearly budget for charitable projects: The donations to the public schools in Spotsylvania and Stafford counties came from the 2019 iteration, and similar contributions could spring from the same source in 2020. | Mount Ararat plans to pay off the debt again, Williams said. The church typically sets aside 10 percent of its yearly budget for charitable projects: The donations to the public schools in Spotsylvania and Stafford counties came from the 2019 iteration, and similar contributions could spring from the same source in 2020. |
| The need is acute, said Daniels of the Spotsylvania County Public Schools: In the weeks since the church’s donation, Spotsylvania County’s lunch debt has climbed back up to more than $5,000. | The need is acute, said Daniels of the Spotsylvania County Public Schools: In the weeks since the church’s donation, Spotsylvania County’s lunch debt has climbed back up to more than $5,000. |
| The pastors are thinking beyond Virginia, too. Just as they drew inspiration from the New Jersey church, they’re hoping others — whether churches, mosques, temples or secular groups — take heed of Mount Ararat’s example. | |
| The trio already scored a significant boost on social media. Segre and Williams drove to school campuses to hand-deliver small white checks, and Williams posted a video about the delivery on Facebook. | The trio already scored a significant boost on social media. Segre and Williams drove to school campuses to hand-deliver small white checks, and Williams posted a video about the delivery on Facebook. |
| That video garnered hundreds of likes, comments and shares — and more than 17,000 views. People from across the country weighed in, Williams said, some promisingto help pay off school meal debt in their hometowns. | That video garnered hundreds of likes, comments and shares — and more than 17,000 views. People from across the country weighed in, Williams said, some promisingto help pay off school meal debt in their hometowns. |
| Williams said he and his fellow pastors never expected their donation would “make such an impact.” But he was equally astonished — and pained — by the lack of awareness surrounding school lunch debt nationally, in Stafford and within the walls of Mount Ararat Church. | Williams said he and his fellow pastors never expected their donation would “make such an impact.” But he was equally astonished — and pained — by the lack of awareness surrounding school lunch debt nationally, in Stafford and within the walls of Mount Ararat Church. |
| “My wife’s been a teacher for 30 years, and I didn’t know about this,” Williams said. “I’ve never experienced a viral thing on Facebook before, but I’m hoping more people find out now, then go to their school, inquire about the debt, see what they can do to help.” | “My wife’s been a teacher for 30 years, and I didn’t know about this,” Williams said. “I’ve never experienced a viral thing on Facebook before, but I’m hoping more people find out now, then go to their school, inquire about the debt, see what they can do to help.” |
| He paused. “Because this is not a churchy thing. This — helping children and families — this is a thing that anyone can do.” |