Jerry Rice’s Hall of Fame career is stacked with records, rings, and highlight reels—but his latest move has nothing to do with yards after catch.
Instead, the former San Francisco 49ers star just made a significant impact off the field by paying off nearly $700,000 in student lunch debt across the country.
According to NewsNation, Rice and his wife, Latisha Pelayo, cleared more than $667,000 in student lunch program debt at 103 schools nationwide. The gesture eliminates a significant financial burden for thousands of families and ensures kids can get meals without worrying about overdue balances.
Rice explained the initiative’s motivation. “No child should ever step into a classroom hungry,” he said. “Our responsibility is to plant strong seeds for the next generation to thrive.”
Before taking action, Rice visited a Bay Area elementary school to learn how meal debt affects students day to day. After seeing the issue up close, he expanded the effort far beyond one district.
The response was immediate. Social media users praised the move, calling it one of the most meaningful things they’ve seen from an NFL legend.
Rice’s contribution also sparked additional support from within the local community. A group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs announced plans to match funds and continue paying down meal debt across other California districts.
The effort builds on Rice’s ongoing work with fellow 49ers icon Steve Young, with both men pushing to raise awareness about food insecurity throughout the Bay Area.
This conversation about school meal debt has been growing nationwide as well.
Earlier this year, a federal proposal, the School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act of 2025, was introduced in the Senate by John Fetterman, with co-sponsors Richard Blumenthal and Peter Welch.
The bill would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to erase all existing student meal debt nationwide and use Commodity Credit Corporation funds to reimburse school districts. It would also expand the USDA’s ability to use those funds across multiple food assistance programs.
As of this writing, the bill has not moved forward in Congress.