An eighth-grader from a local area school, Ben Hofer has pledged to eliminate the school lunch debt for Austin ISD's 129 schools. Hofer started this project he's calling "LunchCounts!" as part of a school project, with a goal of raising $18,000 to pay off all of the school lunch debt in the district.
 
Hofer has raised more than $9,000 for his cause since launching the GoFundMe campaign on April 21.
 
From Hofer's campaign page, "Being stressed or embarrassed about not having enough money for food is disheartening. I'm sure parents have a lot of worries, and lunch for their kids should not be one of them."
 
"We are very appreciative of the generosity of Ben, and his commitment to helping address hunger issues in Austin, said Executive Director for Food Services Anneliese Tanner.  "At Austin ISD, children are provided with a healthy, tasty meal, regardless of their ability to pay."  
 
Who: Student Ben Hofer, Food Services Executive Director Anneliese Tanner, Blazier Café Manager Bill McKenna, and Principal Leti Pena-Wilk
 
What: Check presentation by Ben Hofer
 
When: 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 23
 
Where: Blazier Elementary School 8601 Vertex Blvd. Austin, TX 78744
 
Why: Fundraiser to eliminate approximately $18,000 in negative student lunch balances.
 
About AISD Food Services
Austin Independent School District serves approximately 75,000 meals per day to 129 campuses and manages a $13 million annual food budget. 
 
This district is committed to expanding healthy food access, nutrition education and sustainability efforts. AISD is reinventing the urban school meal experience through programs such as breakfast in the classroom, food trucks, salad bars and increased scratch cooking.