Lifestyle

Jennifer Lopez And Alex Rodriguez Donate A Year's Worth Of Food To Elementary School

by Valerie Williams
Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty and Jennifer Lopez/Instagram

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez had a very generous response to a teacher’s viral post about a student struggling with hunger

No child should go hungry in the richest country in the world. Full stop. Sadly, it still happens, and teachers are often one of the closest witnesses to this incredibly sad reality as they watch students struggle with not having enough food to eat. One such teacher took to Facebook to share her heartache on the topic and a pair of very famous (and generous) people saw it — and took action. That’s right — Jennifer Lopez and soon-to-be husband Alex Rodriguez generously donated a year’s worth of food to the teacher’s school so her students will be fed.

Jacksboro Elementary teacher Brooke Goins writes, “Today I cried at work. Not because I hate my job, or that it is just too hard (it really is). Today I cried for a child, a child who so innocently talked about food, and the lack of it.”

She tells the heartbreaking story of a little boy who wanted to know when “the lady that puts food in his backpack was coming.” He explained to Goins that he slept better at night with a belly full of food, and that he was all out of it at home. That was enough to make her cry in front of her class — and decide to take action. Goins texted a group of teacher friends and they all came together to buy food for the child. “Remember, hearing people say that we spend all of our money in our classrooms? We spend it to make sure that our kids have what they need to succeed, and today we bought food. Yep, we put our money together and made sure that this sweet baby had some spaghetti o’s!” she writes.

Teachers are heroes, never forget it.

That’s when Lopez and Rodriguez stepped in. They saw Goins’ post and contributed a year of meals from Tiller & Hatch, their company that sells affordable frozen meals available online and at Walmart. If you’d like a good cry, watch this video of the famous pair surprising the teachers and students with the news.

Lopez shares that the story “brought tears not just to my eyes, but Alex’s as well!” Over a FaceTime call with the teachers, she explained that her mom was a teacher too, so this is a cause close to her own heart.

Being financially able to help in this way means the world to the couple. “This is why being a business owner, and having actual ownership in companies (not licensing), is so important to me and Alex, especially as Latinos,” she shares. “It’s about showing our community, this is what life can be. You can take charge and take ownership. It allows us to have a say in creating things that make people’s lives better and have partners that share our passion for giving back. Because giving back and being there for others is really what matters most.”

“Everyone should have access to delicious, nutritious food,” Lopez concludes her post. “This was my favorite moment of the month and it’s one of the best things we’ve been able to do.”