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Burlington man pays off all overdue lunch fees at Grimes Elementary School

The outstanding balance was originally $458.63, so the money donated is enough to cover some future fees as well.

BURLINGTON, Iowa — Parents of 89 students at Grimes Elementary School in Burlington were given a big helping hand from Arrowhead Motel owner Jerry Fenton.

Fenton donated about $700  to the school to cover all overdue lunch balances.

"I find it hard to believe that in this day and age there are kids that go hungry, it's just unfathomable in this day and age," he says.

Fenton originally got the idea to donate to his Alma mater  from a Facebook post by a mother in Texas who paid for her son's classmates' lunch fees after finding out his family lost their job.

The outstanding balance was originally $458.63, so the money donated is enough to cover some future fees as well.

"A lot of the kids don't know (they have an overdue lunch balance) because the notice goes home to the parents... We send a note home to the parents, so it will positively affect the parents," says Food Director, Alan Mehaffy.

Mehaffy says Fenton did not receive any of the student's personal information, only the dollar amount of the overdue balances.

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