Houston-area mentor pays delinquent lunch accounts for more than 60 kids

[babylonsister]

Fantastic! This warms my heart; pay it forward!

http://m.click2houston.com/news/houstonarea-mentor-pays-delinquent-lunch-accounts-of-more-than-60-kids/-/16714936/24297388/-/13jsb1v/-/index.html

Houston-area mentor pays delinquent lunch accounts for more than 60 kids
By Keith Garvin, Anchor/Reporter, [e-mail]
Published On: Feb 04 2014 10:10:05 PM CST
Updated On: Feb 05 2014 10:33:15 AM CST

Feb. 5, 2014: An area man donated his money to pay off the overdue lunch balances of dozens of kids. Idolina Peralez reports.
HOUSTON -

snip//


He not only inquired about it, Thompson learned that many of the kids were already on reduced lunch. Children whose parents couldn't afford the meals that cost just 40 cents a day. He took $465 of his own money and zeroed out the delinquent accounts of more than 60 kids.

"These are elementary school kids. They don't need to be worried about finances," said Thompson. "They need to be worried about what grade they got in spelling."

Thompson says many kids he knows with negative accounts forgo the lunch line altogether to avoid embarrassment. But that's bad for education as physicians have linked classroom performance with proper nutrition.

Thompson believes he made a difference when he made the decision to help those students.

"When I left the building knowing that they were getting fed, they didn't have that stress," said Thompson. "The best money I ever spent."

[Purveyor]

1. Bless his heart! eom

[litlbilly]

39. there are special places in heaven for people like this.

1 person like this cancels out 100 who are not.

[shenmue]

2. Now that's a mensch

Good to see there are still good people out there.

[Cha]

3. "The best money I ever spent."..

I totally understand that!

Mahalo babylonsistah!

[FSogol]

4. Keep up the good work, Mr. Thompson.

[G_j]

5. K&R

[Stuart G]

6. K and R thanks for posting..no text..

[Jefferson23]

7. "The best money I ever spent."

[HockeyMom]

8. We TA's have paid for their lunch

The teachers and lunch ladies have also. Been there, done that. Bottom line is that the kids need to EAT, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

[babylonsister]

10. I am absolutely positive that's true.

[Auntie Bush]

9. Two bits Mr. Tompson is a Democrat.

[MyOwnPeace]

40. For sure.......

not a Rethug!

[NightWatcher]

11. $465 and 60 kids eat, that's a good deal.

How much would it cost to just give all the kids a free lunch? How many tanks would we not have to buy for Israel or Egypt?

[merrily]

13. Don't forget the Saudis.

But we have to make sure the Middle East "remains" stable. Apparently, we ensure that by arming everyone.

[anasv]

38. stable

Hill and O did such a great job on Egypt and Libya, how can you not love the results. Mass rape, people blown up, museums trashed.

[quakerboy]

41. ???

How did you go from a guy paying for lunches for school kids to trashing the president?

Anyway, to play along: Good golly, I know!! The ME was such a peaceful, prosperous place until president Obama came along....

[efhmc]

43. Strange response to a story of kindness.

[Brigid]

16. Well, the Repugs did waste $24 billlion . . .

on their stupid shutdown stunt last year. I'll bet that money could have fed lunch to every kid in the country for a year many times over.

[merrily]

12. Blessings, Mr. Thompson. Wish I'd thought of it.

[babylonsister]

14. It's not too late.

[merrily]

15. Good point!

[kelliekat44]

17. Great idea. My grands are on meal plan because daughter has been out of full-time work 20 months.

I help her a lot. I am going to check around to see if there are any kids in her school delinquent in lunch fees. I'll try to pay forward for a few. If only the jerks in Congress would check at least one school in their district and donate funds to make up some of the difference for their cutting SNAP funds.

[niyad]

19. I have an idea--maybe our congress critters could be cut off from THEIR lunches for every single

day they cut off SNAP and other benefits. close down their gym, their dining room, and any other amenities. let them live like they are forcing others to live.

[quakerboy]

42. The Kochs would just cater in

[niyad]

18. k and r--thank you so much for posting this, and many, many blessings to mr. thompson.

wouldn't it be wonderful, however, if we as the whole society placed a value on children and education--and education, not to mention a good breakfast and lunch, and even an afternoon snack--were FREE? how many non-needed new warplanes, new tanks, subsidies for the oil and tobacco companies, could we eliminate and take care of our children so that NONE of them EVER has to face the embarrassment of not being able to eat lunch?

[blackspade]

20. K&R.

All children should be feed at school. On the tax payer.
Education is a required part of being American, but many people and most politicians have lost sight of this.
Education fails when you are hungry.

It is unbelievable to me that in a nation of such abundance we let the most vulnerable of us starve in the name of profit.

[juajen]

46. I so agree with you. All children should be fed.

This food should be automatic, and prevent any child from being hungry or embarrassed. We are so much better than this. Shame on our so-called leaders. We pay a lot of taxes, and corporations who pay none should have to help feed future workers. This country needs a huge dose of compassion for needy children and needy adults. Instead of having "Angel Trees" at Christmas, we should have them all year long, so that everybody can take a name, family and school and donate a week or year of school lunches or food for a hungry family, until the idiots that supposedly lead us, finally determine what's important to this country.

[TBF]

21. More here -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101684391

The really cool thing is that this guy is not one of the known philanthropists in Houston (like the hedge fund guy who funded head start during the gov't shutdown) - this guy is a working joe who runs the spotlight for the TUTS productions (Theater under the stars - Houston's local theater).

[marble falls]

22. I wish there were a way to develop a "DU lunch fund", I am ready to donate.

[Lifelong Protester]

23. I like that idea, too.

[Dustlawyer]

24. Good for him! If everyone did a little extra we can help to smooth over some of the problems

created by our Congress. It's not a long term solution as the Republicans want us to believe, but it helps when we help!

[tblue]

37. That is the plan, you know.

Conservative thought is that private citizens and charities, and churches should fill the void that the government doesn't. And if that doesn't happen, too bad.

As people of conscience, it's almost impossible for us not to help people in need when we can. Most of us here do that and it's a beautiful thing. But it does fulfill the dream of conservatives who don't want to help anyone except themselves and absolutely don't want to pay taxes.

[gademocrat7]

25. K&R

[raging moderate]

26. Thank you, Mr. Thompson.

You are a true champion.

[dem in texas]

27. Houston and Utah, see what Dallas Schools are Doing

Dallas, Texas schools are giving all children in their schools free breakfast and lunch. Teachers said they could see the immediate result of all the kiddies eating breakfast, more alert and engaged in the class. Also, less paper work and time keep track if payments and who qualified for free lunch. Poor children don't need to stigmatized.

I came from a poor family with 6 children. We all had to carry lunches because we could not afford to buy them. When school started in the fall, it was a major money crisis, having to buy supplies and pay for things at school. When the teacher asked for my 50 cent payment for Jr. Scholastic or other things, I would say I forgot, but the truth was my family didn't have the money. Little things like this add unneeded stress and worry to a child when they should be concentrating on learning.

[UncleMuscles]

28. human decency

has accomplished more than every prayer ever mumbled.

[babylonsister]

31. You've got that right. And

welcome to DU, UncleMuscles!

[AllyCat]

45. Truth.

Welcome to DU!

[MineralMan]

30. Back in the 1960s, my mother was a cashier

in the school cafeteria. Lunch, then, cost 25 cents. There were no "lunch accounts." My mom always had a bunch of quarters in her purse. When kids showed up without lunch money, she dropped one of those quarters in the register. The kids knew it, and just went through the line, even if they didn't have lunch money. She knew the ones who often couldn't afford to buy lunch, and also knew which ones could, so nobody slipped by with a quarter in their pocket, either.

That's how Mom is.

[tblue]

34. Your mom rocks!

[MineralMan]

35. She does! She's 89 now, and still thinking about

people who are not treated with respect.

[mstinamotorcity2]

32. Ordinary Americans

doing Extraordinary things. That's the America I love.

[tblue]

33. That should never have been necessary

but what an angel he is for doing it. This is uplifting news. Thanks for sharing!

[deutsey]

36. Exactly. A wonderful act of humanity on his part

But it also highlights how our system is failing so miserably.

[Maraya1969]

44. I wish someone would set up a fund of some sort where we could just donate

what we have and it would go to pay for the kid's lunches. I hate the idea of kids going without food but I don't have over $400 to give to a school.