MOSES LAKE - More Moses Lake students will be able to eat lunch at school next year - the result of a recent donation by the Moses Lake Dutch Bros.

Earlier this month, community members helped the coffee shop raise money for the Moses Lake School District's back-up lunch fund. Dutch Bros. donated $1 from every drink sold June 7 to the lunch fund, which helps pay for lunches for students who are not able to otherwise.

The company was able to raise $859 that day, which was enough to purchase 312 student lunches, Moses Lake owner Kristen Nelson said. However, NW Auto Recyclers volunteered to match whatever Dutch Bros. raised, she said.

Together, they were able to purchase 624 lunches, she said.

Nelson said she heard about some kids not being able to eat lunch at school because they didn't have enough money to pay for it.

"I would hate for any kids to go hungry over a couple of bucks, so we wanted to do everything we could to make sure they get fed," she said. "Some of those kids' lunch at school is the only meal they get."

The lunch fund will help those students who can't afford to eat at school and who also don't qualify for the free or reduced lunch program, Nelson said.

"The fund will pay for their lunch so they don't have to go hungry," she said.

The Moses Lake Dutch Bros. has held fundraisers for various community groups over the years, including the Moses Lake Food Bank, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.