Anonymous Benefactor Who Paid Off $10,000 In School Lunch Debt Swells Our Grinch Hearts

We're all desperate for some happy news these days, so here's a feel-good story: A school district in Maine was about to end the year with $17,000 in debt from unpaid school lunches. You already know that Westbrook is a good school district because according to CBS News, "School officials say they would rather face debt than have a child go hungry." Then superintendent Peter Lancia "said he received a $10,000 check from an anonymous donor on Monday, which would erase a big chunk of the $17,000 owed by families in the district for student lunches."

The $10,000 could wipe out all of the debt from the elementary school lunch program; most of the rest comes from the high school. For some of the kids, the school lunch is their only stable meal of the day. While some schools call out students for their lunch debt, this one is committed to keeping the kids fed, which likely helped inspire such a generous donation.

Lancia told the Portland Press Herald, "I'm not speechless often, and it was one of those moments." Thanks for restoring our faith in humanity, anonymous donor.