Eight Chester County residents were among 1,546 people, mostly from central Pennsylvania, whose medical debt was paid off thanks to a megachurch and the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt, writes Matt Miller for the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

The Lancaster County-based LCBC church raised $25,000 during its Be Rich initiative and gave those funds to the New York-based nonprofit. RIP then used this cash to buy $2.5 million of unpaid debt for pennies on the dollar, which it promptly retired.

All the beneficiaries are at or below the poverty level and had a large part of their annual incomes swallowed by medical debt.

According to Donna Nicholson Stief, the church’s stewardship director, the people were chosen by the nonprofit. The only stipulation the church made was that the payments be made to Pennsylvania residents.

“We have no idea who the individuals are,” said Stief. “There are no strings attached. They don’t have to attend LCBC. We just wanted to bless them.”

Read more about the debt payoff in the Harrisburg Patriot-News here.

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