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A popular taco restaurant that got its start on Route 1 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is now working to eat into the lunch debt that’s accrued in the county’s public school system in recent years.
Little Miner Taco opened its first restaurant at a food hall in Mount Rainier before moving to a stand-alone building in Brentwood and opening locations in Rockville and D.C. You can also find their food at Capital One Arena.
For years, the restaurant would give away kids meals for free. But late last year, owner Kathy Voss decided to start charging $3 per kids meal at the Brentwood location, with the proceeds then being given to the Excellence in Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps support the school system, including covering costs associated with school breakfasts and lunches.
More than 60% of the county’s students are eligible for free or reduced meals.
“We’re a restaurant and our passion is feeding people. We decided to feed the kids,” Voss said.
In her mind, being based in Prince George’s County, Excellence in Education is exactly the right organization to work with to do that.
“When COVID first started, we decided that kids should eat free. No questions asked,” Voss said. “But now that the schools are back open, we want to help them end food scarcity again, as they were doing before COVID started. So rather than just giving the kids meals for free, we now charge for the kids meals, but 100% of the proceeds goes to Excellence in Education.”
Voss said Little Miner Taco tallies the amount of kids meals sold on a quarterly basis and then makes the donation. Kids meals bought at their location in Rockville also lead to donations to a similar foundation operating in Montgomery County.
“I want to express our deep appreciation to Little Miner Taco for their generosity and work with our Excellence in Education Foundation in helping address school lunch debt,” PGCPS Superintendent Millard House II said in a statement provided to WTOP.
“Your commitment to our students’ well-being exemplifies the power of community partnership and ensures every child has access to the nutrition they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for being a champion for education and for making a meaningful difference in the lives of our families,” he added.
Voss said she hopes other businesses in the county will also take that initiative.
“It’s a great program,” she said. “I know that Prince George’s County could use all the help and support they could get from our local community and business owners.”