Retired Missouri firefighter crafts wooden swords to cancel school lunch debt
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Chris Monroe, a retired firefighter in Missouri, United States, began making wooden swords as gifts for his grandchildren, and expanded the hobby to help students in his community.
The craft grew in popularity with neighborhood children, and Monroe decided to use the swords to raise money after learning from his son-in-law, Andrew Crawford, a teacher, about the problem of school lunch debt. Crawford explained that families with incomes just above poverty lines often struggle to pay for school lunches.
Monroe now accepts donations for each sword he makes, and at the end of the school year, he gives the funds to local school districts to reduce student lunch debt. He makes each donation in the name of a child, connecting the sword’s recipient with an act of solidarity toward their peers. Amy O’Rourke of Aging Untold described Monroe’s work as “purpose in action,” noting that he transformed a personal hobby into a way to benefit others.
O’Rourke also emphasized the connection Monroe has built with the children, who send him messages about their swords, and how this exchange teaches them about empathy and generosity. Monroe has spent at least 25 hours crafting a single sword, like one he described as a “crusader sword.”
