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Anonymous donation feeds SD elementary school for entire year

An anonymous donation is paying for elementary school lunches for the Oldham-Ramona-Rutland School District.

The donor said they want to inspire similar direct actions across the state to keep kids fed.

The gift of $45,000 keeps every K-6 child in the ORR school district fed for a school year.

Now, superintendent Dawn Hoeke said she can’t say "thank you" enough.

“What a message this individual is sending out across the entire state hopefully to get others to give back like he’s decided to do," Hoeke said. "What I think his hope was, to get his message out there to get others to follow suit, is happening because the message is getting out there. Just – thank you.”

She said donations like this give her hope.

“It makes you feel really good for my families and for my students, but it really makes me feel good about people again, you know? We live in a world where so often we hear the negative things, and then something like this that’s so selfless and kind and generous happens,” Hoeke said.

However, it doesn’t overshadow the fundamental issue creating the need for these kinds of donations within the nationwide school lunch system.

"There is the federal program for free and reduced lunches that does help out families that really are in need," Hoeke said. "It was wonderful during COVID because so many people lost their jobs and so many people needed that help, but I think now we do try to minimize the cost. The biggest thing I would say I wish we could get product to prepare the food at a better cost, so we could provide that at a lower cost.”

To see if your family qualifies for free and reduced lunches, look on the Department of Education's website.

C.J. Keene is a Rapid City-based journalist covering the legal system, education, and culture