Church youth, members raise funds to wipe out student lunch debt in Willard Public Schools
First Baptist Church in Willard holds a fundraiser during Vacation Bible School each summer to raise funds for others in need. Typically, the offerings brought daily by children are sent to a missionary.
Barb Milioni, wife of pastor Mark Milioni, suggested taking a different route this year.
"I encouraged our team to think about something we could do for the community, to make it more real for the kids and to make it something where they are helping their friends," she said Monday.
"That's just what Jesus did. He showed love by helping his friends and neighbors. And that is what we want them to learn to do."
They decided funds raised during the five-day VBS this year would go to pay off student lunch debt in Willard Public Schools.
To make it fun, they issued a challenge: Whichever group, the boys or the girls, raised the most could smash a pie in the face of their VBS leader.
The church is relatively small, just 170 members, and only 25 children attend regularly. But nearly 100 attended VBS, a popular summer event started 50 years ago that culminates in a party.
Two girls who showed up to VBS with a loose tooth conspired together on a way to raise more money.
"They knew they always got money from the Tooth Fairy when they pulled their teeth. They pulled their teeth right there in Bible school and took them home and came back the next day," said Barb Milioni.
"Between the two of them, the Tooth Fairy had left $27."
Toward the end of the week, the children had raised $800 and Barb Milioni upped the ante. She said if the boys and the girls could collectively reach $1,000, they could pie the leader of each group.
"Then someone said 'What would it take for us to be able to pie Pastor Mark in the face?'" she recalled. "I said 'That will cost you another $1,000.'"
Mark Milioni is also the longtime president of Baptist Bible College in Springfield.
The challenge was accepted. By the end of the week, a total of $2,200 had been raised.
To cheers, the pastor and both group leaders "got a pie to the face" during the goodbye party.
The church reached out to the school district and learned student debt at the end of the 2022-23 year was $2,800 — or $600 more than they had raised.
Phil Broyles, director of nutritional services, said the district is "extremely grateful for this display of generosity."
"On behalf of the students who will benefit from this amazing gift, we would like to thank First Baptist of Willard for their donation," he said, in a statement.
More: Student lunch debt soars in Springfield Public Schools after pandemic relief program ends
Barb Milioni said it was gratifying to get so close but thought the church could do a little more. She noted students with lunch debt are given a sack lunch instead of a hot meal.
"We put it out to our congregation," she said. "We just needed a little bit more to wipe the slate clean and help the kids all to start fresh this year."
The church responded, raising the donation amount to $3,600. A check will be presented Thursday.
"That pays off last year's debt and gives them a great start to help kids this year," she said.
Eligible for free, reduced meals?
Missouri public school students were not charged for school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic and thereafter, a level of assistance that expired last summer.
As a result, many districts reported an uptick in student lunch debt at the end of the 2022-23 year.
Willard Public Schools encourages families to fill out an online application to see if they are eligible to receive free and reduced price school meals, including breakfast and lunch.
They were not required to fill out the form during the pandemic.
The application can be found at www.willardschools.net/freeandreduced.
Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Church youth donate to wipe out student lunch debt in Willard schools
