A church in Virginia recently helped pay off $18,000 worth of its neighbor’s school lunch debt in Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties.
Jerry Williams, the missions pastor at the church known as The Mount, said the congregation wanted to be part of relieving their community’s debt, according to the Free Lance-Star.
“We recently found out about this need, and we thought it would be great to give back and lift this burden,” he stated, adding that “ten percent of everything that comes in, we make sure goes back out beyond our walls.”
The $18,000 donation eliminated all $10,400 worth of debt at four elementary schools in the Stafford County Public Schools district.
However, Williams said even though the money did not take care of every school in the district, the church does not plan on abandoning its efforts anytime soon.
“We wish we could have paid all lunch debt in Stafford, but we found out that would be about $40,000. We plan on chipping away at that,” he noted.
In Spotsylvania County, the church paid off about $6,518.22 of the district’s negative balance, according to district spokeswoman René Daniels.
“We are very appreciative of our community partners,” she stated.
The church also prepares backpacks full of school supplies for children and volunteers with several local ministries.
On December 2, Williams posted a video of himself to Facebook just before he presented the check to Stafford County.
“We did not do this for recognition, but to let others know of this need and encourage others to bloom where they are planted,” he said.
The church’s Facebook page stated that its mission is to make a difference in the world, adding that it is “willing to take risks to invite, gather, give and volunteer to reach One More person.”
“The Mount exists to Reach One more For Christ. We are For One More!” the page concluded.