(Press Release) Settle the Debt’s first major fundraising campaign as a nonprofit netted over $40,000 to pay lunch debt bills at 23 Prince William County Schools.
A total of 18 elementary schools and two schools serving kindergarten through 8th-grade students (called “Traditional” schools) had their lunch debts paid in full.
Three high schools in the county had a large portion of their lunch debt wiped clean, alleviating the lunch debt for many Prince William families. As a result of donations from local businesses and community members, the organization’s first-ever holiday fundraising campaign raised $40,600 to help Prince William County schoolchildren.
A check for $39,600 was delivered to Prince William County Public Schools on Friday, Dec. 20.
The remaining funds will be used to pay off school lunch debts at Pennington Traditional School, and the additional to ensure all 20 elementary/traditional schools are fully paid.
Settle the Debt started in April 2017 by Adelle Settle as a campaign to pay off the lunch debt of schools in Prince William County, VA. To date, Settle the Debt has paid off approximately $90,000 of lunch debt for county schools and worked with Delegate Danica Roem (HD-13) to introduce legislation to eliminate lunch shaming in Virginia schools. As a non-profit organization, Settle the Debt hopes to pay off more lunch debt and ultimately eliminate lunch shaming in Virginia schools.
