American Legion veterans pay kids’ school lunch debt

Rachel Ramsey
·2 min read

HOWELL, Mich. (WLNS) — No kid should go hungry–and veterans in Livingston County are making sure they don’t.

The American Legion Post at Howell is stepping up to cover the unpaid school lunch debts at the Fowlerville schools, along with Howell and Webberville.

One of the members said he was scrolling on Facebook when he saw a post that him hard. It suggested, rather than “paying it forward” at Starbucks, to consider calling your local school and paying off a child’s overdue lunch account.

So, Bobby Brite took the idea to the American Legion’s Board, and they made it happen.

“We all volunteered to serve at one time. And we continue to serve,” said Brite, a member of American Legion Post 141 at Howell.

Around $1,000 covered the total lunch debt at all three schools. About $800 of that money went to Fowlerville schools.

Amy Verhelle-Smith, Fowlerville schools’ Food and Nutrition Director, said that once a student’s debt reaches a certain amount, they can’t buy food anymore–so this offered a nice relief.

“It’s awesome; it’s just such a great benefit for the kids,” said Verhelle-Smith. “That’s what we’re here for, is to feed the kids.”

The state of Michigan recently approved one free breakfast and one free lunch for all students in the 2024 budget–but that doesn’t cover everything.

The veterans of American Legion Post 141 paid off lunch debts for kids in the area. (WLNS)
The veterans of American Legion Post 141 paid off lunch debts for kids in the area. (WLNS)

“Students’ accounts will occasionally become negative, because they’ve purchased extra entrees,” said Verhelle-Smith. “Which might be another piece of pizza or a second sandwich, something like that. At the elementary level, we have many students that bring their lunch, so they buy milk and there’s a charge for that. So those kinds of things are not covered by the governor’s initiative.”

So American Legion Post 141 made sure to cover it. And when they made the donation at Fowlerville, some of the vets ate lunch with the kids.

“This is the entire post that stands behind me,” said Brite. “I’m not speaking for the post, but everybody here feels that way; they just feel like no kid should go home hungry.”

Brite told 6 News this may be just the beginning. There are plans to pay off the debts again this spring, and the veterans hope to make it an annual endeavor.

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