School District Refuses Businessman's Donation To Pay Off Lunch Debt

A Pennsylvania businessman says that he was rebuffed by the Wyoming Valley West School District school board president when he tried to pay off over $22,000 worth of lunch debt for around 1,000 families in the district. The Wyoming Valley West School District made headlines when they warned delinquent parents that if they failed to pay off the lunch debt, they could lose custody of their kids.

When Todd Carmichael, who is the CEO and co-founder of La Colombe Coffee, heard about this he was "horrified" and decided to help out. Carmichael penned an op-ed that was published in the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice, explaining that he grew up poor and received free lunches when he was in school.

"As a child, I received free meals at school when my mother struggled to make ends meet. I know what it means to be hungry. I know what it means to feel shame for not being able to afford food."

Carmichael never forgot the struggles of his childhood and knew he had to help out, so he tasked Aren Platt, a La Colombe consultant, to contact the district to work out the details of his donation.

Platt was ignored by the district's lawyers and could not get a hold of the superintendent. Eventually, he was able to get on the phone with Joseph Mazur, who is the president of the school board. Platt explained that Carmichael was willing to pay off the $22,467 with no strings attached, but Mazur told him he would not accept the money.

Mazur tried to justify his refusal saying that most of the families could afford to pay off the debt they owed and accused of them of being freeloaders.

"His counter was, 'These are affluent families who just want to get something for free,'" Platt told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "This wasn't ever about repayment of a debt. It was about shaming people."

Despite being rebuffed by Mazur, Carmichael says that his offer to pay off the debt still stands.

"Let's just take care of the problem," said Carmichael. "Let's just take care of the kids."

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