by Cheyenne Pagan
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) – One Williamsburg business helped retire outstanding student lunch balances across Williamsburg and James City County.
The goal was to help these students go into the new year debt free.
The donation came from La Tienda, an online retailer of authentic Spanish goods and local restaurant based in Williamsburg.
“Just makes sense to help out where we can,” Tim Harris, the CEO of La Tienda, said.
Harris explained that they’ve been fighting hunger and food insecurity in the area for 15 years in partnership with the Williamsburg Community Foundation.
He explained that in early December, he saw a post on social media that talked about a local woman who had retired the lunch debt of children for years had recently passed away.
He explained that after seeing the person who posted wondering if there was anyone who could carry on her work, they could continue her legacy.
“I heard that there are children in our school districts, who show up and they may not have enough money for lunch, and so they’re given lunch, but then they have a debt to the school. So, we thought that we could play a small part and retire that debt,” Harris said. “We contacted the school district and asked if we could do that, and so we did.”
In partnership with the Williamsburg Community Foundation, Harris said they donated around $5,000 to Williamsburg-James City County Public (WJCC) Schools.
“It’s hard to learn when you’re hungry at school. And so [we] just became aware of this issue, and it seemed like that was something that we could help solve,” Harris said.
Harris said he had no idea lunch debt was an issue before he made this donation, and now he hopes it’s something that can be solved one day.
“I think most people aren’t aware that there is an issue at school. I personally think that food should be free. We should have free lunches for everybody, so that there isn’t perhaps, a stigma attached to kids who do need help,” Harris said.
A statement to 10 On Your Side from Daniel F. Keever, WJCC Schools Superintendent about the donation reads as follows:
“We are humbled by La Tienda Fund’s generous gift and we are deeply grateful. This donation does more than clear outstanding meal balances – it sends a powerful message that our community believes in and supports our students and families. By helping ensure every child has access to nutritious meals at school, this act of kindness removes barriers to learning and reflects the compassion and shared responsibility that make our community so strong.”
Harris said the donation likely impacted hundreds of kids, and he hopes this act of kindness will inspire others.
“It’s one of the most basic needs that we have as humans and as a community. I think we can band together and help where we can. So, I would hope that other folks would see this maybe as an example of something that they could do, or something like it to help the community,” Harris said.
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