The Westbrook School District, which is located in the suburbs of Maine, has recently received a donation from an anonymous source. The donation amount was $10,000, which happens to be over half of the student lunch debt the district is currently facing.
This generous donation was received in a particularly exciting way. The superintendent of Westbrook School District, Peter Lancia, was in the middle of a TV interview regarding the massive debt they owe when an email came in informing his office of the donation.
The donation is meant to specifically help with the student lunch debt, which has risen to around $17,000 for Westbrook.
According to The Hill’s Article, Veronica Bates, member of the Westbrook School Committee, explained that when she first saw the donation, she thought it was a mistake: “Every time I say it, I get goosebumps (…) I cannot express my gratitude enough.”.
The donation will tremendously help to erase the overall debt and with the end of the year approaching, this couldn’t have happened at a better time.
The superintendent commented on the generous donation, stating that “I’m not speechless often, and it was one of those moments. I know this will relieve a very significant amount of the overall debt.” $10,000 can pay for more than 4,000 meals for Westbrook students. This is especially helpful when 60% of students in the Westbrook school district qualify for the free breakfast and lunch meals or a reduced price on the meals.
Fortunately for the students, even if they owe money to the school for meals, the district continues to provide those students with lunch. They will not allow them to stay hungry.