fund will continue philando castile’s legacy of helping students pay for their lunches

Philando Castile was known to his community as a kind soul who did what he could to a caring member of the community, especially when it came to the kids. As the cafeteria supervisor at the school where he worked, J.J. Hill Montessori, Castile would often use his own money to pay for the meals of kids who didn’t have enough money to afford it. The students “When a student couldn’t pay for their lunch, a lot of times [Castile] actually paid for their lunch out of his own pocket,” said Stacy Koppen, nutritional services director for the St. Paul Public Schools, told WCCO. “No child goes hungry so we ensure that every student has breakfast and also lunch whether they can pay or not.”

A year after Castile was murdered last summer by a now former St. Anthony, Minn., Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez during a traffic stop, Inver Hills Community College professor Pam Fergus has decided to carry on Castile’s legacy of kindness by creating Philando Feeds the Children—an ongoing YouCaring fundraiser that will be used to take care of lunch debts at J.J. Hill, and other schools.

At the time of publication, Philando Feeds the Children has raised $17,000. Philando Feeds the Children will become apart a similar program St. Paul schools “Food for Thought.