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Cafeteria Worker Fired For Giving Student Free Food Gets Job Offer From Celebrity Chef

May 20, 2019

A New Hampshire school cafeteria worker was fired for giving a student with no funds in his account a free lunch.

After her story made headlines, celebrity chef José Andrés offered her a job. ‏

Bonnie Kimball said she was fired on March 28 by Fresh Picks, a vendor that supplies food to the Mascoma Valley Regional High School. It came one day after she gave a student lunch, even though he couldn't pay for it.

"His family is very well known in this town and I can guarantee that if I called his mother, she would have come right in and paid the bill. But I didn't want to get her out of work," Kimball told The Associated Press. "I know they would have brought the money the next day. The bill was going to get paid."

After Kimball's story went viral, celebrity chef José Andrés took to Twitter to offer Kimball employment at his nonprofit World Central Kitchen.

"The hero is Bonnie Kimball! If she needs a new job we have openings @thinkfoodgroup," Andrés tweeted.

New Hampshire school cafeteria worker fired for giving food to student who couldn't pay - WHBQ! The hero is Bonnie Kimball! If she needs a job we have openings at ⁦@thinkfoodgroup⁩ if you know her, let her know! ⁦@NewHampJournal⁩ https://t.co/o7JHXgRtn6

— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) May 17, 2019

Andrés is known for his humanitarian efforts which include feeding the poor and disaster survivors across the world.

Kimball had not indicated whether she was interested in a position.