BROWN COUNTY, Ind. (WTHR) - More than 350 students in Brown County started the new semester with a zero-debt lunch balance.
A fundraiser started on Facebook collected nearly $3,000 to pay off any outstanding school lunch balance for every child in the district.
"I was nervous and excited and overwhelmed but not necessarily surprised because our community really does step up and help where it’s needed," said Amber Dawdy, who started the fundraiser.
Every day, students can purchase lunch at school. But if a child cannot afford lunch, the school system will still provide a meal and roll over the balance.
Over the past two years, the district was owed more than $6,300 in unpaid lunch fees.
Dawdy’s raised money over about two weeks and combined her total with other community contributions to settle all the debt.