An 8-year-old boy from Vancouver, Washington sold handmade key chains for $5 each so he could pay off the lunch debt of students from his school and six others.
The outstanding balance was $4015.
It all started because the boy wanted to do something special for "Kindness Week" at his school. After seeing San Francisco 49ers player Richard Sherman donate money to cover student lunch debt, he decided to follow the lead.
The boy came up with a plan to make, and sell, keychains.
Once word got out, people from all over the country started sending in their requests for one of the custom key chains.
With the help of not only his parents, but also his grandparents, the boy made and sold more than 300 key chains. His parents said some people paid $100 for a $5 keychain. Others bought multiple keychains so they could hand them out.
The boy delivered the $4,015 check to his school. Of that amount, $1,000 will go to his school to pay off their $500 lunch debt and for any future debt incurred. The rest will go to six other nearby schools, which will get $500 each to clear their own lunch debts.
School lunch debt is an increasing problem in the US. In the 2017-2018 school year, 75% of school districts reporting unpaid student meal debt.