Her classmates had lunch debt. So this California 5-year-old found a way to pay it off

After 5-year-old Katelynn Hardee heard another student’s mother say that she was having trouble “paying for something,” Katelynn came up with a plan, according to CNN. She asked her mother if she could set up a stand to sell hot cocoa and cookies.

Karina Hardee, Katelynn’s mother, said that her daughter began asking questions about why this would happen, according to NBC San Diego. Karina explained to her that “some aren’t as fortunate as us and it is kind to give when we can.”

“I can give money to the lunch people that don’t have the money,” Katelynn told CNN.

She got her inspiration from the lemonade stands that she held during the summer and made the cookies and hot cocoa herself, according to Fox5. She then spent over three hours selling her homemade cookies and cocoa over the weekend.

Katelynn is a kindergartner at Breeze Hill Elementary School in California, according to NBC San Diego.

Karina then tried to see how they could donate the money to her daughter’s classmates.

“I just left a note saying my daughter held a hot cocoa fundraiser over the weekend and would love to donate the money to any of the negative accounts,” Karina said, Fox 5 reported.

Katelynn ended up raising $48, according to the Breeze Hill Elementary PTA. It was enough money to pay off the negative lunch balances for 123 students, according to CNN.

This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 8:11 AM.