This week, kids are back in school after winter break. All of them will get homework, but not all of them will get enough food.
One Lakeville man is on a mission to change that for students at Eastview Elementary in his city.
The non-profit organization Feeding America says that, in Minnesota, one in eight kids struggles with hunger.
One of the lunch tables at Eastview Elementary can sit eight students.
Craig Pratt had a goal for that one kid out of eight at each lunch table.
"They're not all mine, but they're really important." Pratt said.
Two years ago, Pratt met with the principal of Eastview Elementary, Tabir Akin, to discuss the lunch debt problem.
"This is kind of an adult problem," Akin said. "What's a way that we can not make that adult problem impact our students?"
School lunch debt is an adult problem because the debt means that parents or guardians either couldn't or didn't pay for their kids' meals.
"I thought, Lakeville is a tremendous community. I know if we brought this problem to the community, they would step up and help us solve it." Pratt said.
The community exceeded its goal of $10,000 in 2017.
"I feel like, if we can give more than we take, we'll leave the world in a better place." Akin said.
Brian Arneson was one community member who was quick to contribute the first year that Pratt started collecting donations, 2017. Last year, he did even more.
"At the end of the day, there was an opportunity to carry the baton forward," Arneson said.
Pratt passed the baton to Arneson in 2018. The baton was in the form of a GoFundMe page called 'Lunches for Lakeville.'
This year, Arneson will pass the baton to Amy Solinger.
"If I can help someone else, that's what I'm going to do," Solinger said.
Next year, Solinger will pass it on as well.
"It would be amazing if this could inspire another location to adopt the concept and help their own communities as well," Solinger said.
Pratt said that the progress they have made is what is possible when a community rallies together and protects each other.
Here's where the debt for the Lakeville school district stands now: $15,000 for the full school year.
Under Arneson's leadership in 2018, the community contributed about half that amount. But, there is still a long way to go.
If you feel inspired to contribute, you can visit the GoFundMe page.
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