Second donor pays off student lunch debts at two schools

The spirit of giving is spreading in Avon Grove. After an anonymous donor gifted more than $800 last week to Penn London Elementary School and Avon Grove Intermediate School, paying off student lunch debts, another anonymous donor has stepped up to help the middle and high school students.

Donating over $1,600, this generous Avon Grove community member has paid the outstanding lunch account balances for all students of Fred S. Engle Middle School and Avon Grove High School, impacting more than 215 students.

The Avon Grove School District policy provides full meals for all students. For those students who are unable to pay, a negative balance is recorded and weekly invoices are sent home. All students are eligible to receive meals regardless of their ability to pay.

High School Principal Scott DeShong notes that the donation is representative of Avon Grove’s community of giving. “This donation speaks to the generosity of our community and how ‘helping your neighbor’ is really valued. I continue to be amazed at the generosity of our families and the importance of community in Avon Grove.”

To qualify for free lunch, children’s family income must be under $15,171 in 2015 (below 130 percent of the poverty line); 18.7 percent of students at Avon Grove High School receive free lunch. To qualify for reduced lunch, children’s family income must be below $21,590 annual income in 2015 (185 percent of the poverty line); 2.7 percent of students at Avon Grove High School receive reduced lunch.

Earlier in November, on Giving Tuesday, Avon Grove School District received a donation of more than $800 from an anonymous donor. The donation paid off the entire lunch debt for every student at Penn London Elementary School and Avon Grove Intermediate School (AGIS), a total of 111 students.

There are 847 students at Fred S. Engle Middle School and 1,794 students at Avon Grove High School. The district covers 67 square miles and serves five townships: New London, London Grove (which includes the boroughs of Avondale and West Grove), London Britain, Penn, and Franklin.