Math Teacher Pays Off Entire School's Lunch Debt With Prize Money
After winning a $25,000 teaching award, Mrs. Patricia Monroe immediately used the full amount to clear lunch debt for every student at Jefferson Elementary.
By Good News Hero Team
When Patricia Monroe, a 4th-grade math teacher at Jefferson Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee, received a call telling her she'd won a $25,000 national teaching excellence award, her first question was: "How much is our school's lunch debt?"
The answer was $23,847.
"That was that," Monroe told local news. "I've been watching these kids worry about whether they can eat lunch. They can't learn when they're hungry and worried."
After winning a $25,000 teaching award, Mrs. Patricia Monroe immediately used the full amount to clear lunch debt for every student at Jefferson Elementary.
The next morning, Monroe walked into the principal's office with a certified check. Every student at Jefferson Elementary — all 412 of them — now has a fully funded lunch account through the end of the school year.
The story quickly spread online, prompting donations from across the country. Within 48 hours, a GoFundMe established by parents had raised enough to fully fund Monroe's personal savings, with additional funds going toward school supplies.
"She's always telling us that doing the right thing is the right answer," said 10-year-old Marcus, one of Monroe's students. "And she actually does it."
