Wyoming fundraising to erase school lunch debt in state

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — More than 3,000 Wyoming youngsters will have their school lunch debt forgiven through an effort led by First Lady Jennie Gordon and others. The Wyoming first lady’s office announced Wednesday the effort raised almost $99,500 to forgive unpaid school lunch money owed by 3,224 schoolchildren. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been covering school lunch costs for all students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money raised will cover unpaid lunch money from before the pandemic. Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative worked with the Mountain West Credit Union Foundation and Dan and Cynthia Starks, of Dubois, to raise $80,000. The rest came from individuals including Gov. Mark Gordon.