Nonprofit pays off school lunch debt for parents of La Crosse School District students

For the second year, the La Crosse community — and beyond — has stepped up for a local nonprofit and, in turn, for needy children of the La Crosse School District.

The Beer By Bike Brigade recently presented a check for $9,551 to more than pay off the meal debt for parents in the district. With $1,941.14 leftover, the district will be able to help pay off future free/reduced school meals.

Nutrition Supervisor Lyn Halvorson can’t get over the response.

“It really is an outpouring of concern and care that people from this community, and outside of this community — I think we received a check all the way from Texas,” she said. “People care about kids.”

Halvorson says the parents who are behind in payments aren’t lazy.

“It can be, the family doesn’t complete the proper paperwork,” Halverson said. “It can be hardship that they’re having at their home but yet their income would still not qualify them to receive federal or state benefits. It depends on the circumstance with the family.”

Regardless of the situation, Halvorson says every kid gets fed.

“We never turn a child away from a meal,” she said. “We feel like we need to remove the money situation away from children. And that has to go on behind the scenes with the adults that are in the situation.”