Teacher's viral post on hungry student leads to school food pantry

A student's innocent question led to a teacher's tears -- and acts of goodwill.

Brooke Goins, a teacher at Jacksboro Elementary School in Jacksboro, Tennessee, posted to Facebook about a student who was hungry.

"He asked when the lady that puts food in his backpack was coming," she wrote in part about the Oct. 2 encounter. "It caught me off guard, because it is our guidance counselor and I wasn’t sure what he needed. I told him I wasn’t sure about this week since it is a short week. He told me he was out of it at home and needed more."

Goins texted her teacher friends who in turn purchased food.

Her Facebook post was shared 17,000 times. Goins told "Good Morning America" she is "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of support.

"The support that our community and even those far away has been amazing," she told "GMA." "We [the teachers involved] believe it has opened eyes to those who are not in our schools every day. We love reading the comments from teachers who are doing similar things in their areas, that gives us hope in humanity."