Kid, In Fifth Grade, Raises 5 Lakh To Pay Off His Classmates' Debts For School Lunches

A young fifth grader from Thomas Ultican Elementary in Missouri, US is on a mission to raise funds for his classmates’ school lunch debts. Daken Kramer, an 11-year-old from the Kansas City area, understands the importance of a healthy meal for students. Although Blue Springs School District provides lunches for all students and free breakfasts for those in need, many schools have generated over $225,000 (approximately Rs 18 Lakh) lunch debt. While the district receives help from local businesses to manage the debt, individuals like Daken coming out to help the unprivileged are rare. Only two weeks are left before he moves to middle school, but Daken is determined to make a difference by fundraising. To support his cause, a PayPal account has been set up, allowing others to contribute to clear the lunch debt.

As per ABC7, Daken said, “It’s important for kids to eat. Like, I don’t think they could make it through the day without eating a school lunch. While his mother, Vanessa Kramer adds, “If everyone kind of gets the notion that we can pull together we can make a difference.”

Despite receiving donations, the facility of lunch and free breakfast in the school has led to massive unpaid school lunch debt. Dr Alison Longwell, the principal of Thomas Ultican Elementary, highlighted the issue, stating that their elementary school has alone accumulated over $3,000 (approximately Rs 2.50 Lakh) in debt and the district’s total debt has surpassed $225,000.

In the PayPal account, Daken Kramer wrote, “I am a 5th grader at Thomas Ultican Elementary. That means this is my last year of elementary school. TUE has shaped me into an outgoing, kind, compassionate, respectful, strong leader. While I can never repay this school for all of the hard work that has gone into my education and well-being, I would like to do something to show my gratitude. I am collecting money to help pay off student lunch debt.”

“I am challenging friends, family and local businesses to donate what they can to this cause. My mom, Vanessa, will be handling the money part and we will keep everyone updated on the amount we collect. Thomas Ultican is a Title 1 school, which means a high number of students enrolled come from economically challenged homesuz

. A lot of the kids at my school already benefit from reduced lunches and some are still not able to pay their lunch debt,” he adds.

Surprisingly, Daken Kramer, who initially focused on raising $3,500 (approximately Rs 2.90 Lakh), but his initiative has exceeded the expectations, as he so far collected $6,040 (approximately Rs 5 Lakh).