BELL COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Lake Belton High School senior Taylor Rogers raised more than $1,600 through door-to-door donations to help erase student lunch debt at his school. What started as a school project became a community mission that eliminated about 54% of the lunch debt, helping reduce financial stress for families during the holiday season.
- Rogers went door-to-door collecting donations after being inspired by an online video about students struggling with lunch debt
- His fundraising efforts successfully eliminated approximately 54% of Lake Belton High School's student lunch debt
- The senior plans to attend Texas A&M University next fall and continue his community service efforts
Check out the story:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A Lake Belton High School senior turned a simple school project into a community mission, raising more than $1,600 through door-to-door donations to help erase student lunch debt at his school.
Taylor Rogers said he was inspired to take action after watching a video online about students struggling with lunch debt.
"I know some people with lunch debts so I thought it'd be a great idea to kick off the holiday season by lifting a financial burden on these families," Rogers said.
What began as a school assignment quickly evolved into something much more meaningful for the senior. His fundraising efforts successfully eliminated about 54% of the student lunch debt at Lake Belton High School.
"But as it went on it felt more like a responsibility I had to these students," Rogers said.
Principal Christina Steele Hantgin praised Rogers for his dedication to helping his fellow students during the holiday season.
"I am extremely proud of Taylor for his community," Hantgin said.
The principal explained that lunch debt creates difficult situations for both students and families at the school.
"But from time-to-time we do accrued debt and we have to have some difficult conversations with students and parents about how to overcome that," Hantgin said.
Rogers admitted that going door-to-door to ask for donations initially caused him anxiety, but the experience helped him develop a stronger connection to his community.
The senior plans to attend Texas A&M University next fall, where he hopes to continue his community service efforts.
"There is a sense of accomplishment and it made me feel as a stronger part of my community that I was going out there to benefit them on my own time," Rogers said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
