June 19, 2017
An advocacy organization founded by students is donating $1,000 to the Collingswood School District in South Jersey to address school lunch shaming.
Leaders of the group, School Lunch Fairy, read a recent PhillyVoice report about Robert Bennett, an Oaklyn resident who feels his two sons were both victimized recently.
As a result, Christian Cordon-Cano and his Florida-based organization are donating $1,000 to establish an emergency lunch fund in the district so no more children are subjected to humiliation.
Cordon-Cano has said a total of $3,000 in donations will be needed to cover the cost of unpaid lunches in the upcoming school year.
Bennett's children have had no further issues, but he recently got a message from a district mother indicating there still is a lingering issue. The mother said her child was told that the lunch account was 20 cents in arrears, according to Bennett, but that it would be covered.
“Which is good, but it could be just temporary,” Bennett added.
Bennett said he’s happy about the donation.
But he wishes the lunches were “whole foods, not prison food,” and served on “sustainable plates, with flatware and cloth napkins.”
