He Raised Over $10,000 To Help Pay Off Student Lunch Debts In His Community
When you were in school, did you or someone you know run out of lunch money and accumulate debt in the cafeteria?
Not being able to afford school lunches is a problem that many children in America tragically have to face.
It leaves them feeling upset and insecure, and some children are left hungry in the middle of the day if their school lunch debt is too large.
One magnificent teenager who experienced school lunch debt himself as a child is working hard to prevent students from having to deal with it themselves.
DeJaun Strickland is 15-years-old and lives in St. Louis, Missouri. He loves science and has also created his own comic books. One of DeJuan’s latest passions is giving back to others and making a change in his community.
DeJuan was recently reflecting on a day in the fourth grade when he had accumulated school lunch debt and couldn’t afford a lunch.
Although his mom, Sharron, was thankfully able to pay off his lunch balance the next day, DeJuan started thinking about all the other students in the country who must be stuck in that situation for days or weeks.
Then, at only 14-years-old, DeJuan had the brilliant idea to create a GoFundMe page to raise money to help pay off students’ lunch debts at his former elementary school.
At first, he only hoped to raise $500, but after word about his initiative began to spread, he’s raised over $10,000 and has been able to help more schools in his area.
Photo 33002485 © Hongqi Zhang (aka Michael Zhang) – Dreamstime.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Alongside his mom, DeJuan has also been able to use the donations to pack and provide fresh lunches to children at these schools who didn’t get to bring or buy one. He’s also started bringing lunches to children without housing.
The GoFundMe organization itself has acknowledged DeJuan’s amazing efforts and declared him one of their GoFundMe Heroes after donating $3,000 to his cause.
“Any act of generosity will help make change,” DeJuan told the GoFundMe team.
“Imagine if every single person in the world is doing an act of kindness on a regular basis – suddenly, the world is such a better place.”
To read more about DeJuan’s initiative and donate, you can visit his GoFundMe page here.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News