Bus driver Wayne Price is a familiar face in the Montevallo community.
The kindhearted man worked as a contractor for many years before closing his company to serve with the Youth Ministry.
Then, five years later, he started driving a school bus, where he’s become a beloved mentor to many of the kids. In fact, Price has grown close enough to the kids to realize how certain things will affect their day— like in this case, for example.
On the early morning of December 11, Price received a phone call saying bad weather meant schools would be closed for an extra two hours that morning.
While kids in other cities would likely rejoice upon hearing their school day had been shortened, for many kids in Montevallo, this meant they might not get to eat.
You see, two-thirds of the kids at Montevallo Elementary School are low-income students registered for the National School Lunch Program, which provides them with breakfasts and lunches at free or reduced costs.
If the school was closed in the morning, most of the kids would go hungry, having nothing to eat until lunch.
Allison Campbell, Principal of Montevallo Elementary, told TODAY:
“For a lot of students that means that they won’t get to eat.”
“It speaks volumes to [Price’s] character that he was attuned to that.”
When Price realized the implications for his students, he immediately came up with a plan. Hitting up the local McDonald’s, he purchased himself a breakfast sandwich— and others for every single kid on his bus.
“When I got to the McDonald’s, I asked the manager, ‘Can you turn around 50 biscuits in 15 minutes and can you give me as good of a deal as possible?’”
Walking out with a boxful of sandwiches, Price proceeded to provide every student with a free breakfast. “When the kids got on I said, ‘So, what do ya want? Sausage? McMuffin?” he told TODAY with a laugh.
“I just love my kids. I got a lot of fist bumps, lots of high-fives, lots of ‘Love you, Mr. Price,’ lots of ‘Thank you, Mr. Price.’”
The elementary school shared the story on its Facebook page where it immediately went viral.
“Mr. Price, one of our bus drivers, truly demonstrates the spirit of Christmas!” they wrote. “On Tuesday, when school was delayed due to icy roads, and we weren’t able to serve breakfast, he purchased biscuits from McDonald’s for his entire bus of students. What a kind act that our students will forever remember!”
“Thank you, Mr. Price, for making a lasting impact in the lives of our students!”
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Residents from the community chimed in on the post, noting this act of kindness is nothing out of the ordinary for Price.