Charlestown dad raises money to pay off all students' lunch money debts during pandemic

CHARLESTOWN, Ind. (WDRB) -- Every Charlestown student's lunch money debt is now paid off after the community stepped up with donations.

The idea started after Cadence, a second grader at Pleasant Ridge Elementary, asked his dad for extra cash because his friend didn't have enough to eat.

"He came home from school one day, and he was a little upset. He asked me for a little extra money for lunch the next day," said Cadence's dad, Jonathan Berkley. "I asked him why. He said one of his friends wasn't able to get a lunch because he had a lunch debt. They sent him to the table with a peanut butter sandwich, and it upset him a little bit."

That's when Berkley, a youth sports coach, wanted to help clear the lunch money debt at every school in Charlestown, so no other kids would have to eat an alternate lunch.

"I want to make it clear that I am not at fault with any of the lunchroom workers for doing their jobs," Berkley said. "But I wanted to make sure that they didn't have to do that part of their job anymore."

Berkley said he teamed up with Brigitte Delaney, who reached out to Greater Clark County Schools and Aramark Food Services. He then turned to the community — that responded in full force.

"We started a Facebook page and it took off," he said. "I gave the first $50 for a donation, and we were done (within 72 hours)."

The drive ended with $1,516 in donations, which paid for all 53 kids, across the elementary, middle and high schools, who were in debt.

"The amount of kindness, the amount of generosity in this town is second to none," said Berkley.

Greater Clark schools sent a letter that said an extra $106 in donations will "create an emergency fund for any Charlestown student that doesn't have money."

Berkley says it's proof that people can get past their differences to help others.

"You can't tell me that we can't work together, because we just did. It didn't matter if you were a Republican or a Democrat. We put all of that aside and we came together for one common cause," he said.

A cause that all started with one second grader's kind heart.

"(Cadence is) the real hero, and that's because I never would have known if he hadn't shown his emotion for his friend," Berkley said of his son. "He just wanted him to have the same lunch that he had."