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\"[We're] very proud. Both my husband and I are just amazed.\"

Hardee said her daughter had recently overheard a parent at the after-school program saying she had a difficult time paying lunch dues.

\"PHOTO:
Karina Hardee
PHOTO: Katelynn Hardee, 5, a kindergartner who is raising money to cover her school's lunch debt in California, is seen in an image with her brother, Landon Hardee, 2.
>

When Katelynn wanted to help, she and her mom began brainstorming ideas and landed on a hot cocoa stand.

Katelynn set up shop on Dec. 8 and later gave the money to her school. She is holding another hot cocoa sale on Dec. 21 and is still taking donations through a crowdfunding account, which she will also gift to Breeze Hill in hopes to cover the 1,206 lunch balances in the district. Breeze Hill now has 93 students left with lunch debt after Katelynn's generous donation.

\"PHOTO:
Karina Hardee
PHOTO: For $2, Katelynn Hardee offered neighbors some holiday treats like cocoa, cookies and hot cider. The 5-year-old attends Breeze Hill Elementary School in Vista, California, where the outstanding lunch balances total $616.85.
>

\"I started crying,\" Breeze Hill's cafeteria manager Teresa Sharp told ABC affiliate KGTV in San Diego. \"I couldn't believe that a 5-year-old could think of doing something like that.\"

Katelynn also helps to support school programs that could be removed due to budget cuts.

\"Her one kind act has rippled and affected the community,\" Hardee said. \"It's starting conversations [around] food for kids.\"

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