Meet The Inspiring Mom of 2 Who is Tackling $232K Of Student Lunch Debt In Her Local School District

Kate Lacroix is a mother of two who lives in Boulder, Colorado — and she wants to solve the problem of school lunch debt, starting with the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD).

Kate was first inspired by a story she saw online after Thanksgiving about an individual who was helping pay off people's layaways for the holidays.

"I thought it was amazing," Kate says, "and I wanted to figure out how I could do something as impactful in my hometown."

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"I knew that one problem that existed was school lunch 'shaming' across the country," she continues. "School lunch debt is when parents can't afford to pay for their children's school lunch. The kids still get to eat, but they get the bill."

"If we are nourishing kids' minds for free," Kate poses, "why are we not nourishing their bodies?"

Kate decided to focus on her community, setting her sights on the student lunch debt in her school district. After calling their offices, Kate found out that the number rested around $232,000.

She realized that everyone could participate just by donating the equivalent of a cup of coffee.

So, she posted a photo of a cup of coffee on Facebook, with a simple call to action. Instead of buying a cup of coffee that day, Kate asked everyone to donate $4 — which also happens to be the price of a hot lunch — to BVSD.

"The response was out of control — and people were giving in these really creative ways," Kate says. In fact, the mom of two says she raised $1,450 that first day. Wow!

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Along the way, Kate has heard from people around the country who want to start similar initiatives.

"If there's one takeaway and something I can help with, it's just showing people how easy it is," Kate says.

So far, Kate has raised $38,000 of her $232,000 goal. And she can add $10,000 to that number, because — as Rach had the opportunity to share with Kate on our show — Cali'flour Foods donated $10,000!

"It only takes one to save the lives of some," Rachael says.

If you are able to, you can donate to the BVSD School Food Project here.