Hey, did you know more than 75% of schools in America have students with unpaid lunch debt?

That’s real strain pressing on families and kids.

I was one of those kids, and that feeling never really leaves you — the embarrassment and the shame while being hungry.

That’s why one church in Oregon, Ohio, decided to do something about it at Christmas.

They launched Project Give — a campaign to erase every bit of school lunch debt in their district.

In that community, the average school lunch costs about $3.35.

That doesn’t sound like much, but for hundreds of families, it adds up fast.

One missed payment becomes five. Five becomes thirty.

And before long, kids start skipping meals or pretending they’re not hungry — just like I did.

So this church said, “We want to help.”

They invited the community to give through the holidays, and by the end, they had raised thousands to wipe out the debt completely.

They’re not the only ones.

A church in Texas used its Christmas Eve offering to erase more than $10,000 in lunch debt.

Another in Ohio raised $15,000 to cover every student in their local schools.

These stories all carry the same message: you don’t need a big budget to make a big difference.

You just need eyes to see where a helping hand is needed most.

Because when the church steps in to remove shame — even over something as small as lunch money — it preaches a gospel people can taste and see.

I’m Justin Trapp, and this has been your Ministry Minute.