Lunch lady who was fired for giving 'hungry' student free food had 'not charged him for three months'
We had earlier reported that a New Hampshire lunch lady was fired for giving a 17-year-old student $8 worth of free food. The story has taken a dramatic turn with the catering company now claiming that she was a liar and the student's mother accusing her of orchestrating a cover-up.
Bonnie Kimball, who worked at the cafeteria of New Hampshire's Mascoma Valley Regional High School, was fired on April 4 by the administration of Café Services, the food services company which she worked in, for handing out $8 worth food to a student who did not have money. However, after severe backlash, she was offered her job back a month later, but Kimball reportedly refused the offer, questioning the intentions of the company.
Kimball's termination had led to an outcry and outrage on the internet. However, Fresh Picks Café decided to hit back in a YouTube video statement. According to a clip which was published on Monday, May 20, the company president Brian Stone said, "The employee told the manager that she charged the student's account for the lunch, but the manager later confirmed that there were no charges on the account — so what the employee said was not true."
The student's mother has also spoken out, accusing Kimball of messaging her son on Facebook in order to orchestrate a cover-up. The mother showed the lunch lady's messages to the Union Leader where she had told the teenager to load money on his card as her manager would be watching her ring up the charges. Kimball reportedly wrote to the boy, "We will prolly [sic] get written up, but we can make it look good. Lol."
The mother asked Stone, "What kind of an adult says that to a child?" Kimball has also been accused of messaging the teen in the weeks post her termination including one where she boasts that she was going to be appearing on TV and would get to meet "famous football players". The mother also claimed that the rumors that her son was "hungry" were fabricated.
"I have three children, and they are all well-cared for and well-fed. She did not get fired for feeding a hungry child," the mother shared. In addition to this, Fresh Picks Café has claimed that Kimball may not have charged the teen for months.
In a YouTube statement, Stone stated, "Despite the fact that the student goes through the line frequently... they hadn't been charged for anything for the previous three months." The company further claimed that on March 28, Kimball had loaded the child's tray with a whole variety of a la carte items which included food items such as cookies, French fries, and a Gatorade.
While speaking to the union leader, Kimball had tried to explain why the student's account had not been billed and had said that she would regularly let the teen charge the food to his friend's account as he was a popular "jock".