Live Oak Child Care Saved From Closure By Farmer's Generous Donation

LIVE OAK (CBS13) — A low-income child-care center on the brink of shutdown has been rescued by a local farmer.

The Live Oak Child Care Center is a nonprofit that owed the state of California tens of thousands of dollars it couldn't pay back. It caters to low-income families. When they got a bill from the state for almost $60,000, they didn't know what to do.

"Ninety percent of our families are free," said Shannon Granger.

The staff says a lot of their money comes from private donations, and a big chunk from state funding.

In December, the nonprofit was told because of a clerical error, the state wanted $60,000 back from the center that had been open since the 1970s. The large debt had the center on the brink of shutdown.

"We wanted to keep this place open, but with that kind of bill in this small community it's difficult to raise that kind of money," said Barbara Brandt.

That's when local farmer Ron Giovannetti heard about the center's plight and wrote them a $59,000 check to cover the center's debt.

"I just started crying," Granger said.