Keep Kids from Going Hungry
Donation protected
Aloha! I asked my daughters (pictured) what they want for Christmas this year and their answer was to remove the burden of unpaid school lunch debt for Hawaii Families this Christmas. Their idea is that if we put food on the lunch trays, maybe the families can focus on putting a toy under the tree this year.
Hawaii has the highest homeless rate per capita in the nation, according to federal statistics. While many people are worried about what gifts to give their kids at Christmas, some Hawaii families are struggling to feed their children. With the up-rise of bullying in our school systems, reports of "lunch shaming" are also becoming common throughout the country. Some school employees are forced to quit their jobs after refusing to remove lunches from impoverished kids.
Approximately 25 million kids at public schools do NOT qualify for a free lunch. Kids with unpaid school lunch balances get a lousy cheese sandwich for lunch or they go without a meal in many cases, particularly the older kids. And 70% of school districts have significant unpaid school lunch balances. That's a lot of kids!
After seeing a recent article of a kindergartner having her lunch taken away because she had unpaid school debt, my two daughters asked if we could help pay off school lunch debt for the local area students.
This is where we need your help. The approximate unpaid school lunch debt per school is $2,500. If we can raise $10,000 this season, we can pay off lunch debts for a local elementary, middle and high school. These schools are located in a city of Hawaii with a homeless rate of 3.81%.
Back Story: In addition to living in homeless shelters as a teenager, I grew up very poor to a single mother of 3 daughters. We often slept on couches of friends or in motels. I shared the story of working in the cafeteria to earn free lunches (sometimes even get an extra helping to hold me over for the night) with my daughters. After learning of my story and seeing some of their own friends struggle with not having enough food, they felt compelled to help the local community.
I know our goal is high, but I have faith in the community coming together to remove this burden from our local families this Christmas. If you cannot donate, please share and help us spread the word.
KHON2: https://www.khon2.com/local-news/two-local-kids-raising-money-to-pay-for-school-lunches-in-their-community/
A few answers to some questions you may have, hopefully to give you peace of mind as this campaign goes beyond our close family and friends.
1. Who we are and where we're from.
We are the Sergio family from Hawaii. Most people know us because Janae has a large following and is verified on Instagram under @janae_perfectlyflawed
2. Our relationship to the parties we're raising funds for.
We are raising funds for our local community members in Kapolei, HI. These are our friends and neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet.
3. How the funds will be spent. 100% of funds raised will be used to pay off school lunch debt at three local schools, to include the Middle and High schools. If there are not enough debts to pay, the funds will be provided to the local homeless shelters.
Once we get close to reaching the first $2,500 we will contact the schools to find out how much they need an pay off each school debt as we receive the funds to do so.
Mahalo,
Janae Sergio
Hawaii has the highest homeless rate per capita in the nation, according to federal statistics. While many people are worried about what gifts to give their kids at Christmas, some Hawaii families are struggling to feed their children. With the up-rise of bullying in our school systems, reports of "lunch shaming" are also becoming common throughout the country. Some school employees are forced to quit their jobs after refusing to remove lunches from impoverished kids.
Approximately 25 million kids at public schools do NOT qualify for a free lunch. Kids with unpaid school lunch balances get a lousy cheese sandwich for lunch or they go without a meal in many cases, particularly the older kids. And 70% of school districts have significant unpaid school lunch balances. That's a lot of kids!
After seeing a recent article of a kindergartner having her lunch taken away because she had unpaid school debt, my two daughters asked if we could help pay off school lunch debt for the local area students.
This is where we need your help. The approximate unpaid school lunch debt per school is $2,500. If we can raise $10,000 this season, we can pay off lunch debts for a local elementary, middle and high school. These schools are located in a city of Hawaii with a homeless rate of 3.81%.
Back Story: In addition to living in homeless shelters as a teenager, I grew up very poor to a single mother of 3 daughters. We often slept on couches of friends or in motels. I shared the story of working in the cafeteria to earn free lunches (sometimes even get an extra helping to hold me over for the night) with my daughters. After learning of my story and seeing some of their own friends struggle with not having enough food, they felt compelled to help the local community.
I know our goal is high, but I have faith in the community coming together to remove this burden from our local families this Christmas. If you cannot donate, please share and help us spread the word.
KHON2: https://www.khon2.com/local-news/two-local-kids-raising-money-to-pay-for-school-lunches-in-their-community/
A few answers to some questions you may have, hopefully to give you peace of mind as this campaign goes beyond our close family and friends.
1. Who we are and where we're from.
We are the Sergio family from Hawaii. Most people know us because Janae has a large following and is verified on Instagram under @janae_perfectlyflawed
2. Our relationship to the parties we're raising funds for.
We are raising funds for our local community members in Kapolei, HI. These are our friends and neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet.
3. How the funds will be spent. 100% of funds raised will be used to pay off school lunch debt at three local schools, to include the Middle and High schools. If there are not enough debts to pay, the funds will be provided to the local homeless shelters.
Once we get close to reaching the first $2,500 we will contact the schools to find out how much they need an pay off each school debt as we receive the funds to do so.
Mahalo,
Janae Sergio
Organizer
Janae Sergio
Organizer
Kapolei, HI
