Jennifer Lopez and fiancé send a year's supply of food to US school
- Published
Jennifer Lopez and her fiancé Alex Rodriguez said they cried when reading a teacher's Facebook post
Jennifer Lopez and her fiancé Alex Rodriguez have donated a year's worth of food to a school in the southern US state of Tennessee.
The couple said they were moved by a Facebook post by Jacksboro Elementary School teacher Brooke Goins about a hungry pupil.
The child had revealed he was regularly going without food during a conversation about spaghetti hoops.
Lopez said: "It brought tears not just to my eyes, but to Alex's as well."
In the original Facebook post, external on 2 October, Ms Goins wrote that the child "asked when the lady that puts food in his backpack was coming".
"I told him I wasn't sure about this week since it is a short week," she said. "He told me he was out of it at home and needed more."
She asked what he liked the most, and whether he liked spaghetti hoops - known as spaghetti o's in the US.
"He looked at me and said, 'those little o's' (as he made a small circle with his hand), we don't have those at home, but when I do have them they give me a warm belly and help me sleep'. I lost it, I cried in front of 20 little people," she said. "No kid should ever be hungry, ever."
Teachers at the school then pooled their money to buy the pupil food for the following few weeks, she added.
Her post caught the attention of more than 45,000 people - including Lopez.
On Wednesday, Lopez posted a video on her Instagram showing her and Rodriguez in a video-call with Ms Goins and pupils from the school.
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"When we heard about the students and amazing teachers at Jacksboro Elementary in Tennessee, we knew we had to help," the singer and actress wrote. "We heard teachers were helping students bring home food when they didn't have enough.
"Everyone should have access to delicious, nutritious food. This was my favourite moment of the month and it's one of the best things we've been able to do."
About six million children in the US don't have regular or sufficient access to food, according to US government statistics.
- Published21 September 2019
- Published20 September 2019
