Bonnie Kimball had spent more than four years serving lunches at Mascoma Valley Regional High School in New Hampshire, and she knew every student as if each were her own grandchild. One day, a boy came to the register with a tray full of food and empty pockets. She did not hesitate: she let him take the meal and asked that his mother pay later.
The next day she was fired. Her bosses at Fresh Picks Cafe accused her of lying about the charge, even though the student ended up paying the 8 dollars on his account. “Letting that child go hungry would have been the wrong thing to do”, Kimball said. “If the bill had not been paid, I would have covered it myself”.
The story became national news. Coworkers quit in protest, and chef José Andrés offered her a job on Twitter. The company eventually offered her her position back with back pay. She said no. Now she has so many job offers that all she has left to do is choose which one to accept.
