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Dad who helped erase lunch debt, fundraises to feed federal workers during government shutdown

By Michael Spears, KIRO 7 News
By Michael Spears, KIRO 7 News

A Seattle dad who raised thousands of dollars to pay off school lunch debt around Washington state is at it again.

But this time he's helping raise money to feed federal workers during the partial government shutdown.
As of Wednesday night, the GoFundMe account set up by Jeffery Lew had raised more than $6,000 in roughly 24 hours.
"It just breaks my heart some of them are just working without pay," said Lew.

The money raised directly supports World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, that began serving federal workers hot meals at an emergency relief kitchen Wednesday in Washington D.C.

"They've done so much,” said Lew. “Worked so hard to serve our country.”

World Central Kitchen said on Twitter it served 4,400 meals its first day and plans to serve unpaid federal works and their families until the government fully reopens.

“I didn't think that the shutdown would go this long, so I don't have any savings right now,” said Federal Aviation Administration worker Rebecca in an interview Wednesday with CBS News outside the relief kitchen.

The fundraiser is familiar ground for Lew, who raised tens of thousands of dollars in 2017 to wipe out student lunch debt in school districts around Washington State to stop the so-called “lunch shaming” of children.

"This shouldn't have to happen but I never want to see any kids, families go hungry,” said Lew.

Lew told KIRO 7 he’s confident he will reach his fundraising goal of $10,000 and said what he’s doing isn’t political; it’s the right thing to do.

"We as Americans are helping each other out,” said Lew.

To read more about the GoFundMe campaign, click here.

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