DECATUR — A metro Atlanta school district’s student lunch debt has been wiped out thanks to donations raised by the community and a corporate foundation grant.

95.5 WSB previously reported on City Schools of Decatur’s plan to offer cheese sandwiches and milk to any student with unpaid lunch balances to bring down a nearly $90,000 debt balance districtwide.

“No child deserves that,” mother Jasmine Crowe-Houston told our partners at Channel 2.

The Decatur community got to work and rallied behind the students. A GoFundMe created by Crowe-Houston raised $85,000. Perimeter Roofing Company made a $60,000 donation.

On Thursday, City Schools of Decatur confirmed the donations were enough to eliminate the district’s lunch debt.

“City Schools of Decatur is grateful for the overwhelming support we have received from the greater Atlanta community,” the district wrote in a statement. “Our doors remain open for ongoing collaboration. However, we are delighted to confirm the $88k lunch debt has been eliminated thanks to the generosity of a corporate foundation grant.

“All past balances have been forgiven.”

District officials added, “CSD has less than a 10 percent poverty rate, and eligible families continue to receive regular meals through the National Lunch Program. We have also finalized agreements with organizations to provide additional assistance to individual families experiencing financial hardships.

“As a public school district, we often have to make difficult decisions. However, we remain committed to providing healthy meal options for all students while working diligently to proactively prevent future debt reoccurrences.”

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