Hope Community Church of the Nazarene in Oregon wants to eliminate unpaid lunch debt for Oregon Schools families.

The church, on Starr Avenue Extension, has launched Project Give, with which it hopes to tackle the issue using community-wide donations in part.

“We’ve done it for other organizations, usually around Christmas,” said Jacob Hawes, lead pastor of the church. “We try to find organizations we can give to with no strings attached and just be generous.”

The church focused on the Oregon district, knowing that grants that covered student breakfasts and lunches had long dried up.

“We know that families are still struggling,” Mr. Hawes said. “I reached out to a school board member and asked if there was unpaid school debt. He said, 'Absolutely.’ He made me aware of an $11,143 deficit, and our church said, 'Let’s do it, find a way to make this happen.’”

Since starting Project Give over a week ago, a total of $3,800 has been donated, reducing the deficit to $7,343, he said.

“Our community has really jumped on board. It's much more than just our church raising the support. Half of what we’ve raised is through our community as well. So it’s more than just a church thing, it’s a community-wide giving project,” Mr. Hawes said.

Schools Superintendent Jim Fritz said he’s grateful for the donation drive.

“As a school district, we appreciate when anyone comes in and helps our students in these situations. We’re more than willing to work with outside groups to help our students with their specific needs, especially this time of year. In the month of November, we focused a lot on gratitude and giving back, and that carries on to the December season as well,” he said. “We’re excited about working with this group to help our students and families in need.”

The debt this year is “a little bit higher than normal,” Mr. Fritz said. “I wouldn’t say out of the norm, but I think it’s something that has grown in size since COVID over the years.

“We went through a time when there was federal reimbursement for all lunches and breakfasts, so the meals were free,” he said. “But that changed a few years ago. That is no longer in place.”

Now, the district digs into its budget to help defray costs when needed.

“We’re fortunate we’ve had outside groups raise funds to help us cover those costs for students and their families,” Mr. Fritz said.

Typically, parents log into their child’s food account online to add funds using a credit or debit card to pay the bill, then monitor the balance, Mr. Fritz explained.

“We do have a conversation with the parents in each building about being in the negative, and we try to work with the parents and students to adjust to that issue,” he said. “In some cases, there are students who would qualify for free and reduced-price lunches. Sometimes there is a situation where there is an extreme circumstance and the student can’t fund their own breakfasts and lunches. So we try to work through all of those.

“There are periodic times when we get donations to help with those students and families, and this is one of those times,” he added.

With high inflation, some are also finding it difficult to buy enough food for their families, Mr. Hawes said.

“With rising costs in our community, this is one way we can step up and alleviate debt, which would eliminate some need for our families and schools,” he said. “We’re really hoping to make a difference.”

Mr. Fritz said it was a tribute to the strength of the community that it would come together to help those in need.

“Obviously, food and food security are among the primary things. All students need to come to school and be successful in their academics, and this is just one of the foundational elements of that,” he said.

The church is accepting donations for Project Give through Christmas. The average lunch for an Oregon student is $3.35, according to the church. A donation of $33.50 covers 10 lunches, $83.75 pays for 25 lunches, $167.50 funds 50 lunches, and $335 covers 100 lunches. Donations go directly to Oregon City Schools.

To donate online, go to the church’s website at hopeoregon.churchcenter.com/home.

First Published December 2, 2024, 9:21 p.m.