2nd Grade Student Erases Classmates' School Lunch Debt With Lemonade Stand

A 2nd grader in Idaho is helping fellow students pay off their school lunch debts. Back in May, Amiah Van Hill read an article about Jeffrey Lew — who crowdfunded enough money to cover unpaid lunches in Seattle's school district — and told her mom, Rachel Van Hill, "I wonder if there are unpaid lunches at my school, because I want to make sure everyone eats at school."

The two found that at Hayden Meadows Elementary, the school lunch debt was $40. So, Amiah set up a cutesy lemonade stand at the edge of her driveway titled "Lemonade 4 Lunch."

Within an hour, the 6-year-old met her goal, and had so much fun doing so that she went back out the very next weekend and raised over $300 for additional school districts. Younger sister Aria "supports her sister at the lemonade stands and is in charge of quality control," Rachel told The Daily Meal.

"As a parent, it's my job to raise my kids to respect and love others," she continued. "To see her take passion in something so heartwarming, it makes me proud."

With the success of each campaign, Amiah's hunger for helping continues to grow. Now that her story has been recognized on a national level, the Van Hills have created a GoFundMe page to campaign for funds to cover the entire school district's lunch debt of $23,000. Since its Aug. 19 launch, the page has raised over $4,000 in addition to the $750 in lemonade stand earnings.

On Sept. 11, Amiah was honored by the Coeur d'Alene public school board. She surprised attendees with, of course, lemonade. "We are thrilled that Amiah has embraced that value at such a young age and we are so very proud that she has taken it upon herself to find a way to help those in need," Hayden Meadows Elementary Principal Lisa Pica told ABC News. "She is a very special little lady."

For more uplifting stories like Amiah's, check out the most inspiring food stories of 2017.