(COLUMBIA, MO) – The Columbia Public Schools Foundation (CPSF) announced today a $15,000 donation from the Veterans United Foundation to the Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Lunch for Learners fund to help pay off student lunch debt.

The Lunch for Learners fund was started in 2010 by then-Superintendent and current Interim Superintendent Chris Belcher and Laina Fullum, director of Nutrition Services, with a $5,000 donation from Heart of Missouri United Way. The fund was created to assist families who don’t qualify for free or reduced-price lunch but need additional support because of temporary circumstances.

CPSF donated $50,000 to the Lunch for Learners fund and also challenged the community to donate an additional $50,000 to assist in paying off the debt.

“It is great to see the community respond to this challenge,” said Katie Harris, executive director of CPSF. “We appreciate this generous contribution from the Veterans United Foundation, and thank all of the VU employees who donated to help children and families in our community.”

Veterans United Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Veterans United Home Loans, and is funded by employees of Veterans United Home Loans and its affiliated companies. Driven by a shared mission of enhancing lives, the Foundation has raised over $145 million since its inception in 2011, with 90% of company employees donating a portion of their paycheck to support its mission. Employees also take an active role in referring needs to the foundation and showing the community support through volunteer work. For more information about Veterans United Foundation and its charitable initiatives, please visit www.enhancelives.com.

The Columbia Public Schools Foundation is a private foundation established by community volunteers dedicated to the enrichment of public education through community giving. The Foundation has funded projects in every school, allocating more than $1.7 million to enhance education in the Columbia Public Schools. CPSF was founded in 1996 and has supported teachers and students for 29 years.