Anonymous donor to pay for all student meals at Manila Elementary

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — Manila Elementary in the Alpine School District received an anonymous donation large enough to provide all students with free lunch for the rest of the year.

This year the government ceased free lunches that stemmed from the pandemic. This left many families wondering how they were going to feed their children. The donor wanted to keep that going for Manila Elementary.

“The donor is from the Manila Community; we are very excited and grateful,” said Manila Principal Rachelle Spencer.

“They are piloting at Manila Elementary and would like to expand that on to other schools, and are hoping that other donors come in.”

Spencer said they hope others are interested in doing something like this.

Due to the pandemic, the federal government was providing free breakfast and lunches from preschool to high school.

Spencer said “It was a huge blessing for parents to not have to worry about providing breakfast and lunch for their children. Most schools are back to paying for lunches, but there’s still free and reduced lunch that parents can apply for.”

Spencer says the donor wanted free lunch to be for everyone no matter their background or income. She says with the food prices on the rise, it puts a strain on everyone no matter their budget.

The donor in a message to the school said the following.

“One thing we can all agree on is no child should go hungry. Feeding children should be a universally accepted responsibility of every community.”

Read more:

• Ogden School District offers students free meals at eight different locations
• Jordan School District offers free meals to all students this fall