Community donations are helping pay off student lunch debt in Horry County Schools
Student lunch debt is diminishing throughout Horry County Schools thanks to various community efforts during the holiday season.
The latest effort is being led by Andrew Handley, owner of Handley’s Pub and Grub, who said he raised close to $3,000 within a couple hours of posting a message on social media Wednesday seeking donations.
Handley said he saw another social media post describing about $1,800 in student lunch debt at Carolina Forest Elementary School, so he decided to reach out to his friends and followers online to see if he could help.
He quickly raised enough to hand a check paying off that debt to Carolina Forest Elementary with enough left over to pay off students’ debt at Ocean Bay Elementary, where his children attend, and make a dent in the debt for students at River Oaks Elementary.
“It’s phenomenal,” Handley said of the quick community response. “It brings some goodwill back in the world.”
He said he’ll continue paying off student lunch debt at more schools if people continue donating and suggested community members call him at the pub, 843-903-4904, if they want to contribute.
District spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said these types of community donations happen from time to time, and numerous other schools have recently received money to help clear student lunch debt, including Burgess, St. James and Ocean Drive elementary schools and North Myrtle Beach Middle School.
NFL player Temarrick Hemingway, of the Carolina Panthers, and the owner of a North Myrtle Beach pizzeria helped pay students lunch debts at Waterway Elementary, and an Aynor High School student raised funds for the cause at their school, Bourcier added.
Bourcier said the total amount of student lunch debt in the district was nearly $100,000 as of Oct. 15, which is when she most recently requested the total, but she’s sure that number is down significantly thanks to the donations. Others wishing to donate can write a check directly to the school or drop a check off at the district office, courtesy of nutrition services.
Students are allowed to accumulate up to $20 in debt before they’re given a “courtesy meal” instead of a regular lunch, she said.
Bourcier noted that lunch debt follows students throughout their time in public school, and the district’s best opportunity to collect that money is often students’ senior year because they will be unable to walk at graduation ceremonies with unpaid debt.
The average cost of lunch is $2.60, or 40 cents for students who qualify for reduced lunches, according to Bourcier.
HCS food services department has its own $23 million budget separate from the district’s general fund, and it is primarily funded by the federal government, she said.
