Maryland parish pays off public school lunch debt for entire county

A Catholic parish in Frederick, Maryland, is putting the Churchʼs call to care for the poor into action by eliminating school lunch debt for students across the county, building on years of providing weekend meals to children in need.

Since 2014, St. Katharine Drexel Parish has partnered with Yellow Springs Elementary School to provide weekend meals for students who depend on free or reduced-price lunches during the school week. Parish volunteers say the ministry grew out of a desire to ensure children would not go hungry when school was not in session.

This spring, the parish expanded that outreach by donating $11,800 to Frederick County Public Schools, paying off outstanding school lunch debt for every family in the district.

“We recognized that this is a bigger issue than just one elementary school,” Brian McCrohan, pastoral associate at St. Katharine Drexel Parish, told EWTN News. “With the cost of inflation and grocery budgets being stretched, families who may not qualify for free meals are still having a hard time making ends meet.”

The parish learned the total amount of unpaid lunch debt from the school system and brought the need before its Social Justice Ministry. Parishioners responded with generous financial support, making it possible to eliminate the debt.

The effort marks the second time St. Katharine Drexel Parish has paid off countywide school lunch debt. The parish first did so in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, after recognizing a similar need.

McCrohan said the donation was funded entirely through the generosity of parishioners rather than a special fundraising campaign.

“Our parish is really very generous when they understand there is a need,” he said. “People are passionate about living out Catholic social teaching and lifting up our neighbors, whether they’re right next door or much farther away.”

The school lunch initiative is one part of the parishʼs broader outreach. Parishioners also support ministries in Haiti, assist a parish in Baltimore with Christmas outreach, and respond to humanitarian crises around the world.

While parish leaders are not yet committing to making the school lunch initiative an annual effort, McCrohan said they hope it could become more sustainable through collaboration with other faith communities.

“If more communities get involved, it might be something that could be done on an annual basis,” he said. “We can do more together than any one parish can do alone.”

Although the parish initially debated whether to publicize the donation, McCrohan said they ultimately decided sharing the story could encourage others.

“People are in need of some good news,” he said. “We hope this inspires others — whether as individuals or as communities — to do what they can to help their neighbors.”

The parish’s latest effort reflects the Church’s long-standing commitment to the corporal works of mercy, offering practical assistance to families while witnessing to the Gospel through acts of charity.