‘Secret Santa’ Pays off Lunch Debt in Pennsylvania School

During this holiday season. you never know when and where Secret Santa will show up. On December 7, weeks before Christmas, he paid a visit with a check for $864 to HW Good Elementary School in Herminie, Pennsylvania. His gift wiped out every child’s overdue school lunch bill.

The money satisfied bills for 44 out of 300 students from kindergarten through fourth grade. One family owed more than $400 – no doubt bringing their parents much joy.

The anonymous donor and his wife had a daughter who attended high school in the Herminie school district in the 1980s. They were inspired to pay it forward after hearing about a similar deed in a neighboring district.

In addition, he asked principal Amy Larcinese to name a child with a very large account balance. After she did, he offered to pay that child’s school lunch for the rest of the month.

“Words can’t describe what my feelings are,” Larcinese told TribLIVe. “I had tears in my eyes. It’s just good to know there are so many good people out there who are willing to sacrifice to help others.”