An anonymous donor has paid off $1,000 in student lunch debt for families in the Maricopa Unified School District, one of several gifts accepted by the governing board last night as part of its semester donation report.

The donor, whose name is known to district officials but who requested no public recognition, contributed the funds to clear outstanding meal balances across MUSD schools. Nationwide, more than half of school districts report unpaid meal debt each year, and the average annual debt per child is estimated at $556, according to educationdata.org

MUSD also received more than $12,000 in additional donations this semester, including garden supplies, office materials, turf cleaner from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and funds to support programs at Butterfield Elementary, Maricopa Wells Middle School, and Maricopa High School’s ROTC club.

The board formally accepted the donations without discussion at its regular meeting last night.