Lunch shaming inside schools is a practice some state lawmakers are looking to ban.

However, school lunch debt can add up to thousands of dollars if it remains unpaid, which is why the Bethel AME Church and the Stamford NAACP chapter donated over $2,000 to the Roxbury Elementary School to help wipe out unpaid school lunch balances.

Many Roxbury students come from the city's west side where Bethel church has a tremendous community impact.

Roxbury’s Edith Presley says this kind of donation is rare, and without it the town would have to pay unpaid school lunch debt.

“The community of Roxbury is very grateful that Bethel Church and Stamford branch of NAACP thought to help us in this way," Presley says.

Receiving assistance from outside organizations like churches is helpful, but is it a long-term solution to solving the problem of unpaid student lunch debt? Stamford branch NAACP President Guy Fortt says there's plenty of local sources that can help and collaborate with schools.

Presley says the donation does not only wipe out unpaid balances, but it also saves money from being taken away from other valuable programs.

"There's no budget line for outstanding lunch balances at the school level. So, it's really great that we're able to answer this problem before it affects services for children," Presley says.

Roxbury Elementary says parents are sometimes confused when they need to apply for free or reduced lunch programs. Roxbury recommends for parents to reach out to the school and be as open and transparent as possible.