Jamie Darvish, introduced at an event hosted by the MCPS Educational Foundation, announced that his family and business (named at the event as “Dark Cars”) would fund this year’s outstanding student lunch debt for Montgomery County Public Schools, an effort district leaders said will remove a barrier to classroom learning for students facing food insecurity.

District and county officials used the event to describe the scale of the problem and to thank the donor. Dr. Thomas Taylor, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, told the audience that “public schools carry about $194,000,000 of unpaid student meal debt a year” and noted MCPS serves roughly 18,000,000 school meals annually to nearly 160,000 students. Board of Education leadership and elected officials framed the contribution as an investment in students’ ability to learn.

Why it matters: School leaders said unpaid meal debt creates stigma and distraction for students. In remarks introducing the program, the board president (identified later in the event as Grace Rivera) described her own experience with free and reduced meals and urged advocacy for universal school meals. Jamie Darvish said the gift was motivated by local ties and affordability pressures facing families. Darvish asked other Montgomery County businesses to “step up” and cited county-level figures he attributed to hunger and economic stress.

Details and numbers disclosed at the event: Superintendent Taylor and other speakers provided several figures—MCPS serves about 18,000,000 meals per year and the district enrolls nearly 160,000 students; Taylor said public schools nationwide carry roughly $194,000,000 in unpaid meal debt annually and that MCPS comprises nearly 1% of that national total (figures stated on stage). Jamie Darvish said "14% of children are unsure where their next meal is gonna come from" and emphasized that many families who need help are working; the event transcript uses several similar statistics from different speakers. The organizers and speakers did not provide a specific dollar amount for the Darvish family’s contribution at the event.

What officials said next: County Council member Andrew Friedson and Rockville Mayor Mooney Cashin praised the gift and said private philanthropy must work alongside government and nonprofit efforts. Montgomery County Executive Mark Elridge warned of rising evictions and budget uncertainty and said such donations are especially important in the current fiscal environment.

No formal board action or vote was taken at the event. Organizers closed with a group photo, light media questions and an invitation to refreshments; gift bags from Dark Cars and MCPS were made available to attendees. The event materials and on-stage remarks announced the intent to clear this year’s outstanding student lunch debt but did not include a breakdown of the pledged funds or a public accounting of how the payment will be processed.

Quotes from the event: “Every child in Montgomery County deserves a healthy school meal and the dignity that comes with it,” said Jamie Darvish. Dr. Thomas Taylor said: “Public schools carry about $194,000,000 of unpaid student meal debt a year.” Board President Grace Rivera (as identified later on stage) described the stigma of food insecurity, saying she knew “the stigma that comes with food insecurity,” from personal experience.

Follow-up: The district and donor did not provide a dollar figure or a public schedule at the event. Journalists and members of the public seeking verification of the payment amount, the mechanism for clearing accounts, and whether the contribution covers all categories of outstanding meal debt (for example, cafeteria-only debt versus broader meal-related charges) should request documentation from MCPS or the MCPS Educational Foundation. The event organizers said the contribution would put MCPS in a "better place to serve our children in 2026."