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WEST JORDAN — The inflation crisis is taking a toll on families trying to afford to pay for their kids' lunches. That's what one West Jordan Elementary school is witnessing, and that's why the principal is so thankful for a donor who has stepped in to help.
Westvale Elementary School has about 500 students and, according to Principal Odette Desmarais, dozens of students' families can't afford to buy them lunch. These are families who don't qualify for free or reduced lunch.
"It's heartbreaking, it's absolutely heartbreaking," Desmarais told KSL-TV. "I would never be able to handle the idea of students not eating. That's a really tough idea."
That's why no student is turned away. The cost of the meal is put on credit. But within days, that $1.75 per meal multiplies and begins to add up to hundreds of dollars.
That's why Tua Kealoha and his friends visited the school.
"The biggest thing I wanted to do was to give back. I just wanted to be an example," Kealoha explained. As a result, he donated $600.
Kealoha runs his own private security business and came to pay off the lunch deficit that's racked up in the last two months.
"It absolutely melts my heart. It truly does, to know that there are people in the community who are willing to help kids out," Desmarais expressed.
Westvale isn't the first school Kealoha has donated to; it's the fifth school where he's paid off the lunch deficit in the last six weeks.
"I just started making phone calls and just seeing if we can just pay off debts, so I chose neighborhoods," Kealoha said.
I believe all kids should eat free, but that's not the case. That's why we are raising money to help ease the pain, especially for the holidays.
–Tua Kealoha
Fortunately, this week his generosity led him to Westvale, and it was not his last stop. He plans to continue to donate at other schools.
"I believe all kids should eat free, but that's not the case. That's why we are raising money to help ease the pain, especially for the holidays," Kealoha said.
The Jordan School District reminds all families who believe they may qualify for free or reduced lunch to contact their school administrators and fill out the paperwork.
Correction: In an earlier version, Tua Kealoha's name was incorrectly spelled Keahola.
