Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Just Donated a Year's Worth of Food to These Students — All Because of Their Teacher's Facebook Post

Louisa Ballhaus

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Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez recently launched a line of healthy frozen meals together — and now, they’ve found a way to give back through that new venture. Lopez and Rodriguez are donating food for a year to elementary school students at Jacksboro Elementary School. How did they land on this Tennessee school? It all started with this viral Facebook post.

On October 2, elementary school teacher Brooke Goins wrote this on Facebook:

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Today I cried at work. Not because I hate my job, or that it is just too hard (it really is). Today I cried for a child, a child who so innocently talked about food, and the lack of it. He asked when the lady that puts food in his backpack was coming … He told me he was out of it at home and needed more. Of course I asked what was in the bag that he liked so much … I asked if it was the spaghetti o’s, he laughed and told me no that they didn’t have those. Then it happened… he looked at me and said, “those little o’s (as he made a small circle with his hand), we don’t have those at my house, but when I do have them they give me a warm belly and help me sleep.” I lost it, I cried in front of 20 little people. No kid should ever be hungry, ever.

Moved to action, Goins rallied together with other teachers to stock up this boy’s home with food. After the outpouring of support her Facebook post received, the group of teachers decided to start a food pantry for all students at their school. And that’s when Lopez and Rodriguez decided to get involved.

“When we heard about the students and amazing teachers at Jacksboro Elementary in Tennessee, we knew we had to help,” Lopez wrote on Instagram Wednesday. “When we saw this story, it brought tears not just to my eyes, but Alex’s as well! I don’t know if you guys know, but Alex and I are part owners in a company called Tiller & Hatch, and we decided to donate a years worth of their yummy, healthy meals, for the students and their school’s food pantry.”

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When we heard about the students and amazing teachers at Jacksboro Elementary in Tennessee, we knew we had to help. We heard teachers were helping students bring home food when they didn't have enough. When we saw this story, it brought tears not just to my eyes, but Alex's as well! I don’t know if you guys know, but Alex and I are part owners in a company called Tiller & Hatch, and we decided to donate a years worth of of their yummy, healthy meals, for the students and their school’s food pantry. 🍽✨ This is why being a business owner, and having actual ownership in companies (not licensing), is so important to me and Alex, especially as Latinos. It's about showing our community, this is what life can be. You can take charge and take ownership. It allows us to have a say in creating things that make people's lives better and have partners that share our passion for giving back. Because giving back and being there for others is really what matters most ❤️❤️❤️ We are happy to be in business with partners who also believe no child should EVER have to go to sleep hungry. Everyone should have access to delicious, nutritious food. This was my favorite moment of the month and it’s one of the best things we’ve been able to do. @tillerandhatch #tillerandhatch

A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on Oct 23, 2019 at 10:55am PDT

Lopez went on to share how she and Rodriguez’s experiences growing up as Latinos have inspired them to give back to their communities.

“This is why being a business owner, and having actual ownership in companies (not licensing), is so important to me and Alex, especially as Latinos,” she wrote. “It’s about showing our community, this is what life can be … It allows us to have a say in creating things that make people’s lives better and have partners that share our passion for giving back. Because giving back and being there for others is really what matters most.”

Lopez’s bottom line is the same as Goins’s (and ours, for that matter): “No child should EVER have to go to sleep hungry. Everyone should have access to delicious, nutritious food,” the Hustlers star added. “This was my favorite moment of the month and it’s one of the best things we’ve been able to do.”

If there’s a better way to pay it forward as a celeb, we’re having trouble thinking of it.

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