Ashley D'Amico of Frederick, Pennsylvania, paid off everyone's school lunch debts in the local school district as a way of paying it forward this holiday season.
The Pennsylvanian businesswoman contacted Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) earlier this month, asking if she could donate money to help eliminate meal charges in the schools, WBAL-TV reported.
D'Amico explained that she was in the process of adopting a brother and sister from Vietnam and wanted to support the school system they would soon join.
One in four children in the district qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, and many families struggling to meet basic needs fall just outside the income-eligibility bracket that allows for free or reduced-price meals, according to a story posted on the school district's website.
In light of this, D'Amico's contribution of $3,469.96 to pay for all the outstanding student meal charges as of Dec. 19 was a welcome gift.
Robert Kelly, who manages the FCPS Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) office said he was thankful for the generous gesture.
"I was like 'Oh my God! This is awesome!'" he said per WDVM-TV. "Tomorrow, any students that have developed a negative balance in the schools, they will be erased. They are fully paid off 100 percent."
This is not the first time that a member of the public has reached out in an effort to help pay off school lunch debts.
In June the US News reported about attorney Adelle Settle of Prince William County who was raising money to pay off lunch debts for students who owed $50 are more.
At the time it was reported that the county's school lunch debts totaled $300,000, of which $160,000 came from students owing more than $50.
Last year a GoFundMe account was also set up in a bid to help FCPS students pay for their lunches, WBAL-TV said.
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