Although a good school plays a significantly positive role in a child’s life, a lunch debt is enough to dilute the experience. A school is where you make friends and learn new things that shape your life. A typical school day in the USA is 6 to 7 hours long, which includes a 20–30-minute lunch break. However, juggling between different subjects and training your brain to change focus every 45 to 90 minutes per subject is difficult and requires energy. That energy solely depends on a child’s ability to afford school lunch. Unfortunately, many children can’t afford school meals.
According to recent statistics, approximately 1.54 million children can’t afford school meals. So, does hunger affect a child’s ability to learn? Sadly, it does. According to research, children who don’t eat well are likely to repeat a grade and have low math grades. But does this research help kids get hot school meals? Maybe not all, but kids who study with Cayden Taipalus won’t have to worry about going hungry ever again. Meet Cayden, an 8-year-old boy studying at Challenger Elementary School.
What Motivated Cayden and How He Started…
During the school’s lunch break, the boy stood in a queue at the cafeteria, waiting his turn to get a hot meal, when he noticed something that broke his heart. His friend, who was standing before him, was turned down from a hot meal because of a lack of money in his school lunch account. Seeing the despair and helplessness on his friend’s face upset and motivated him to act. He never wanted his friend, or any other kids, to be refused a hot meal in school ever again. A heartbroken Cayden knew his friends couldn’t eat because they didn’t have money, so if he had to fix the problem, he needed money.
Cayden told his mom, Amber Melke-Peters, about how his friend was turned down at the cafeteria and wanted to know how he could help. Was there a way to get enough money so all students get a hot meal every day? He had to try, and his mom was ready to help. Soon the two began recycling cans and bottles to raise money for school meals. Day in and day out, they did all they could so every child had something to eat. After a short period of time, neighbors started helping and pushing toward their cause.
His mom said, “I am so very proud of my son. He is only 8 years old, and to grasp the concept around this is just amazing in my eyes. He has a heart of gold.”
The ‘No Kid Goes Hungry’ Initiative
His mom wasn’t the only one who appreciated Cayden’s act of kindness. People from all over the world learned about Cayden’s initiative and started sending positive vibes and money, all in an effort to help school kids get hot meals. Seeing the response, the duo quickly founded the “Pay it Forward: No Kid Goes Hungry” initiative on FundRazr, which went viral almost instantly. With the money they raised, they paid off overdue lunch debts for all students at Challenger Elementary!
But that was just the start of donations because they collected over $40,000 from global well-wishers within months! With that money, Cayden and his mom paid off more than 5,000 school lunches for all schools under Hartland County Community! People couldn’t believe what this 8-year-old could achieve after he put his mind to it. They continued to praise Cayden for his act of kindness and his mom for raising a kind boy who’ll grow up to be an empathetic young man. It’s not every day you get to see an 8-year-old change the world with a simple initiative.
His mom said, “We went from just paying off his elementary school to paying off the entire Livingston County. Doing something little can turn into something big and go a long way. Paying it forward is a big deal.”
Crushing the Negative Stigma Around Lunch Debts
So, does that mean a child who’s refused lunch doesn’t get anything to eat? The Challenger Elementary offers these kids a ‘reduced’ lunch when they can’t afford hot meals and have lunch debt. The reduced lunch contains a sandwich, a packet of juice, and a fruit. But is it enough? It depends on kids and whether they feel ‘left out.’ This is because they’d usually share a table with other kids eating hot meals while chugging down a sandwich. But thanks to Cayden, that won’t be the case anymore. There won’t be any negative stigma because every kid will eat the same hot lunch.
Usually, a person needs to review facts and statistics before they act. Cayden didn’t know that a lack of proper food leads to a lack of future opportunities for kids. He didn’t know that a full stomach meant stronger grades. All he knew was that his friend was upset when he was refused a hot meal because of lunch debt. So, he put himself in his friend’s situation and decided to act. All he wanted was to end his friend’s hunger, and he managed to clear school lunch debt for over 5,000 kids! That’s an excellent achievement for an 8-year-old!
Thomas Gould, the PR director for Howell Public Schools, said, “What Cayden is doing is very generous, and it shows how caring all of our students are. It’s also important to know that all of our kids are offered lunch no matter what.”
We couldn’t agree more. Way to go, Cayden!
