$40,000 donation eliminates lunch debts

BATTLE GROUND — An anonymous donor relieved Battle Ground Public Schools students of their lunch debt by giving a $40,000 donation through the Morgan Stanley Gift Fund. A leftover balance of about $800 was covered by the Battle Ground Education Foundation. The donations covered debt for close to 1,900 students in the district, but not debts that had already been sent to collections. Balances of more than $100 are sent to collections, according to a news release. Students who participate in the free and reduced-cost meal program were first to get debts eliminated. The relief comes at a difficult time for some families who may have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was thrilled, because it’s one less thing for our families to have to worry about right now,” foundation President Colleen O’Neal said in a news release. “The more we can take off their plates, the better.”