Chobani is coming to the rescue of hundreds of low-income families with unpaid lunch debts in Rhode Island.
The yogurt company is volunteering to pay $47,650 of the collective $77,000 in lunch debt that students have racked up amongst Warwick Public Schools.
As of last week, 1,653 students had unpaid account balances with debts ranging from $1 to $500.
Upon finding that they could not absorb further debt, the Warwick school district announced that they would only be serving cold sunbutter and jelly sandwiches to students with unpaid account balances.
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After their announcement caused a backlash of criticism, Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya posted a Twitter video saying that his company would be paying off the bulk of the debt.
Additionally, the company would be donating food and yogurt cups to the people of Warwick, according to CNN.
“For every child, access to naturally nutritious and delicious food should be a right, not a privilege,” Ulukaya said in a statement. “When our children are strong, our families are stronger. And when our families are strong, our communities are stronger. Business can and must do its part to solve the hunger crisis in America and do its part in the communities they call home.”
(WATCH Ulukaya’s video below)
as a parent, news of #WarwickPublicSchools breaks my heart. every child should have access to natural, nutritious & delicious food, so @Chobani is doing our small part to help pay this debt
— Hamdi Ulukaya (@hamdiulukaya) May 9, 2019
business must do its part.. our responsibility as members of community. who will join us? pic.twitter.com/6HOTjDE4CX
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