Charity in honor of Philando Castile pays entire lunch debt where he worked

 

Philando Castile never hesitated to pull out his wallet to help pay for a child meal when they couldn't afford lunch. Now a charity founded in honor of Castile, has successfully continued his efforts. You can read more by clicking here, and visiting the You Caring page.

The You Caring page says the following;

 In memory of Philando Castile, this site is collecting donations to pay off elementary school kids' lunch debt.  The J.J. Hill school is several thousand dollars short.  Some kids get free lunch, but many kids come from families with incomes slightly above the cut off.  They get behind in payments, and need our help.

Philando was "Mr. Phil" to the students at J.J. Hill.  He supervised their food program and interacted with the kids every day.  He knew their names and their diets.  He LOVED his job!

So far the You Caring page have raised well over $148,000 and counting! 

The student lunch debt has been wiped out for all 56 schools in the Saint Paul Public Schools district in Minnesota, the district Castile worked for, according to the charity, Philando Feeds the Children.

“That means that no parent of the 37,000 kids who eat meals at school need worry about how to pay that overdue debt,” according to an update from the charity website. “Philando is still reaching into his pocket, and helping a kid out. One by one. With your help.” 

Stacey Koppen, director of Nutrition Services at Saint Paul Public Schools, worked with Castile, and remembers him as a "kind and caring" person. 

"This fundraiser honoring him and his memory couldn't be more perfect," said Koppen. "This is what he did. He did so without question or praise." 

Though all students of the district can receive free breakfast, only some students are eligible for free lunches depending on household income guidelines and district funding. That leaves some students with lunch debt if they can't pay and don't meet the requirements. 

Now that Philando Feeds the Children has eliminated all of the school lunch debt in the district, charity organizer and Metro State University professor Pamela Fergus said the organization will use the rest of the money raised to help more students in the future.