Seattle dad aims to pay off every school lunch debt in the state of Washington

A Seattle father of three is well on his way to eliminating all school lunch debt in the state of Washington.

Jeffrey Lew read an article about some school districts that either refuse to give students lunch if they don't have any cash on them or take away their hot meal and replace it with something cold. Other districts send the kids home with invoices, which can add up quickly. "It boggles my mind that a child can accrue a debt at school," he told Today Parents. "I was determined to do something about it." Lew found out his sons' school was trying to collect $97.10 worth of student lunch debt, paid that, then moved on to tackle all of the debt owed to Seattle Public Schools — $20,531.79.

Lew started a GoFundMe, and the money has been coming in steadily, allowing Lew to pay off $100,000 worth of debt across Washington. His goal is to pay off every debt in the state, and he hopes that one day, there will be universal free lunch. Lew said he's "passionate" about having students focus just on learning, not worrying about whether they'll get lunch that day, and he hopes his children understand the impact this is making. "Being kind is something you will never regret," he said.

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