WHITE COUNTY, Ga. — There is $262 million dollars of unpaid school lunch debt in the United States, according to the most recent data. In Georgia, more than half a million children can't afford to pay for their meals.
One White County man decided that the issue was worth peanuts.
It's worth slowing down for the sweetness on sale at Mike Meaders Peanut and Produce Stand in Cleveland, Georgia.
While he sells everything from watermelons to peaches, boiled peanuts are the star of the stand.
"When people buy something at the stand and they have change, I say, just throw it in the kids' thing. It makes them feel good," said Meaders.
The "kids thing" started in 2017 when he talked to the head of the nutrition department at White County Schools.
"She said, we have a family right now, little boy and little girl, and they don't have the money to pay for lunch," he recalled.
He couldn't stand to see his neighbors go hungry.
"I cry sometimes; some people will just break your heart," he said. "But it makes me feel good. Even though I got tears running down. It makes me feel real good that I got to help someone."
He started collecting donations and putting the profits from his peanuts into the school.
"Everyone around here knows Papa Mike and his peanuts," his son, BJ Meaders said, "it's just his heart."
He has watched his father take countless donations to the elementary schools in White County. It's become a familiar sight: Papa Mike walking through the doors with a wad of cash.
"He's got it rolled up in a rubber band, he has the exact amount, he's counted it out," said White County Nutrition Director Abby Rowland. "And over the years, that's how he's given almost $16,000."
She says he's nourishing their bodies and their hearts.
"It's really meaningful for the kids. We have a lot of families who are struggling right now," said Rowland.
A burden shared is a burden halved by cracking open a peanut.
"It just makes you feel good. I think it's God's work in a way. Well, I know it is," he said.
And that work isn't just peanuts.
To help out Poppa Mika, people can send a donation via Venmo to @poppamikeskids.