Philando Castile Charity Wipes Out Kids’ Lunch Debt In District Where He Worked

Style Magazine Newswire | 3/2/2018, 12:07 p.m.
One by one. That’s how Philando Castile, who was killed by a police officer during a 2016 traffic stop, used …
Philando Castile

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One by one. That’s how Philando Castile, who was killed by a police officer during a 2016 traffic stop, used to help kids who couldn’t afford lunch. The school nutrition supervisor would dip into his pocket and pay the bill. Now a charity run in his name has multiplied his mission by thousands, wiping out the lunch debt of every student at all 56 schools in Minnesota’s St. Paul Public Schools, where Castile worked. Pam Fergus, the Metro State University educator who runs the fund with her students, dropped off a check for about $35,000 this week at the school district’s office, she told CNN. The money will clear every cent families owe for school lunches. That’s important because until the debt is paid, students’ caregivers cannot submit paperwork to request free to reduced-price lunches, based on need, Fergus said. The Philando fund has far surpassed its $5,000 goal. It stood at $107,000 before this week’s check cleared, with about 3,000 donations ranging from $1.50 to $1,000 each.

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