Philando Castile’s Mom Keeps Son ‘Alive’ By Bringing a ‘Little Relief’ to Students by Paying Off Lunch Debt

A mom, who lost her son to police brutality, has turned her tragedy into a blessing for others.

As the Star Tribune reports, Philando Castile was a nutrition supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota.

During his time there, he often picked up the lunch tab for students who owed lunch money.

A Minnesota police department has announced new goals to help rebuild community trust following the 2016 death of Philando Castile. https://t.co/K5D1oqEVPY pic.twitter.com/3ZQmbB1Gef

— ABC News (@ABC) June 16, 2018

In 2016, Philando was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop. His 4-year-old daughter watched from the back seat of his vehicle, and his girlfriend’s Facebook live stream of the incident sparked outrage and gained national attention.

After his passing, his family formed the Philando Castile Relief Foundation.

The foundation’s website states:

The Foundation endeavors to provide a helping hand to individuals and families through meal preparation, financing and funerary assistance, and grief counseling.

And as Inside Edition reports Valerie Castile, Philando’s mother, has picked up where her son left off.

Philando Castile's mother helps pay lunch debt at Robbinsdale Cooper High https://t.co/mOmXcvwIre pic.twitter.com/dpLQ4Lh8j4

— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) May 3, 2019

To ensure that Minnesota school children don’t starve, Valerie donated $8,000 to Cooper High School to pay for outstanding school lunch debts.

“What I’m doing [are] things that my son felt in his heart, and that’s children, family and community.”

In regards to Valerie’s generosity, Herman added:

“For students, this kind of modeling can be powerful. They might not do anything right away, but maybe down the line they will pay it forward because of the generosity they received.”

Valerie explained that she chose to help these children because their families are often already struggling with enough.

She said:

“Our kids are the future leaders of our country and we need to take care of them in every way possible. Most families live paycheck to paycheck, and the last thing they need to be worrying about is how can I pay this debt at the end of the year…I’m just doing whatever I can to bring a little relief into people’s lives, and everything I do revolves around my son and who he was.”

In addition to this generous gesture, the Philando Castile Relief Foundation awards a $5,000 scholarship to a St. Paul Central High School senior annually.