Matthew Albright

The News Journal

Must have been ole' Santa Claus.

Whoever it was, families at Stubbs Elementary School in Wilmington are celebrating the anonymous donor who paid off every kid's outstanding lunch bill.

It cost $1,283.07.

"I think it's wonderful," said Shaqanda Worthy, a parent. "It just shows how this school is like one big family."

Kids waited, patient but wiggling, for roast beef sandwiches, pears and broccoli during a typically rambunctious lunch hour Monday.

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"They were so excited when they heard about it," cafeteria employee Camilla Campbell said above the din. "You know, sometimes they can't get the thing they really want, so they were very excited."

While federal programs pay for kids from families in poverty to get lunch, some families only qualify for a reduced price and some may not qualify at all. If a student doesn't have money to pay for a lunch at Stubbs, they still get food but the charges go to an account balance — the donation will erase those balances.

"I was flabbergasted," Campell said.

Every school welcomes community engagement, but those that serve poverty-wracked neighborhoods — like Stubbs — are particularly grateful.

Teaching reading or math or science can be challenging, but it becomes even harder when students are struggling with basic needs like shelter or clothing.

And trying to teach a kid on an empty stomach? Basically impossible.

"Any mom can tell you that," said Stubbs parent Rachel Nixon, grinning wryly. "If your kid is hungry, you're going nowhere with them."

Nixon and Worthy were at Stubbs on Monday helping put together Christmas stockings. They said they volunteer at the school because of how important it is to their community.

"The parents, they're working hard, but it's just hard for them to make ends meet," Nixon said. "This is where everybody comes to. They're not just teachers to us, they're family."

Delaware is in the midst of a complicated debate over providing extra funding for high-needs schools. But while superintendents and legislators debate funding mechanisms and policy changes, educators need solutions now and often turn to the local community.

"What I like about [the lunch donation] is that it kind of shows that people are taking notice of our school and the things it's doing," said Ken Livingston, coordinator of the Eastside Community Center, which is housed in Stubbs. "We're really doing everything we can to bring the community in to help take care of the needs these kids have."

A big part of Livingston's job is finding local groups that are helping kids and their families and connecting them with the school. Over Thanksgiving, some 120 families got turkeys and sides from NOR Enterprises' Annual Turkey Give Away.

Stubbs, like many high-poverty schools, stuffs kids' backpacks with food on Friday afternoons so they have some nutritious meals for the weekend. They collect donated coats so students can stay warm during the winter and even help families find housing.

The stockings that the moms were stuffing were delivered thanks to the Rotary Club and the United Way.

Whoever the secret Santa is, Stubbs principal Jeffers Brown said he was "surprised and elated" by the donation.

"I assumed it was someone who had been here and seen how hard we work for these kids and how much they deserve it," he said.

But it doesn't take $1,283.07 to make a difference, Brown said. Volunteering, even for an hour or two, can be a big help to staff and a bright spot for kids.

"Kids love that as much as anything, they love knowing that someone is paying attention to them," he said. "And it's one more person who is emphasizing to them how important an education is to their future."

Especially for a child who is facing a bleak life at home, someone showing they care can make a world of difference, Worthy said.

"The first thing they look forward to when they get to school is a smiling face, a word of encouragement," she said. "That is just so important to them."

Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline.com, (302) 324-2428 or on Twitter @TNJ_malbright.