Fundraising Effort Aims To Pay Off Student Lunch Debt

Ford Lincoln of Cookeville has set its sights on helping Putnam County students.

Employee Josh Lafont said the dealership will raise money this holiday season to pay off student lunch debt.

“A lot of people don’t realize the amount of debt that the public school systems takes on just from unpaid lunches,” Lafont said. “Of course they don’t want to turn away any children that need to eat. In order for us to keep ahead of the game, we just wanted to see if we could bring that number back down to zero for some families in the county that might be struggling this holiday season.”

Lafont said the Putnam County School System has welcomed the fundraising effort.

“A lot of people don’t realize it, but when they think about knocking out school lunch, they think about young children,” Lafont said. “Where actually, Cookeville High School has the highest debt in the county as far as unpaid lunch debt. So we’re trying to see if we can help out the families that need it the most, but also the schools that need it the most. That’s why this project is so important to us, because it’s going to affect people all over the county and not just one set area.”

Residents can donate money by visiting a gofundme page that went online Tuesday night. Several local businesses have also agreed to set up collection boxes for the campaign, including Romo’s Mexican Restaurant, Happy Hour Wine and Liquor, Nutrition Faktory, and Persis Indian Grill.

“It’s very young still, but the word is spreading through people sharing our posts,” Lafont said. “Make sure you let your family members and friends know that this project has started.”

Ford Lincoln of Cookeville will collect money until December 15.