NORTHPORT, Mich. — The Mitten Brewing Company paid off one school district's entire school lunch debt.
The Northport location of the brewery announced on Tuesday that it had eliminated the debt at Suttons Bay Public Schools. The brewery said on their Facebook page, they were able to pay off the debt thanks to the "amazing patronage" in the area.
"It has been our best summer yet at Mitten Northport, and every day we are grateful to be part of this community," the brewery said.
The brewery said Joe Symons, one of their staff members at the Northport taproom, saw the lunch debt issue while he was substitute teaching at Suttons Bay.
"Having lunch debt doesn't mean kids are denied lunch, but some parents just aren't able to to pay for it, and even though they may qualify for free or reduced lunch, there is often a stigma or shame that prevents them from applying," a statement said.
Symons brought the issue up with co-owners Chris Andrus and Max Trierweiler and the Mitten Foundation. The brewery said the decision to help was a "no-brainer."
The company donated $2,700 to the Northern Michigan school district.
"This was the absolute best way to show our appreciation to that community, and we've been waiting for an opportunity to do that in our Northport location," the Mitten Brewery said in a statement.
The Mitten Brewery is Grand Rapids-based, but it opened the Northport location in 2016. It also has a taproom in Saugatuck.
Lunch debt has been a focus in recent months. In July, a Pennsylvania school district told parents if they didn't pay their lunch debt, their children could end up in foster care. The district faced backlash after they refused the accept a CEO's donation, which would eliminate the debt. They eventually decided to accept the donation.
In another part of the county, a 14-year-old from Texas raised $8,000 in May to go towards eliminating school lunch debt for an Austin district with 129 schools.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.