Metro Atlanta McDonald’s employee grateful for student loan help

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Some metro Atlanta restaurant owners have started a student loan forgiveness program for their employees, as talks about student loan debt continue nationwide.

Metro Atlanta McDonald’s employees can apply for the pilot program and could be eligible for $1,250 a year to help pay on the loans.

Through this benefit, franchise owners like D.J. Mitchell say they hope to attract and keep employees.

“We’re going to find out if it’s successful,” he said. “We’re going to find out if it drives some employees to come work for us and how it does retaining current employees.”

Demetrius Peoples has worked at the Buckhead McDonald’s location for over a year. But even while he is earning an income, he is also one of the millions of college graduates stressing over student loan debt.

Peoples told CBS46 he knew he’d have to pay the loans, but never imagined his employer would help.

“There’s a lot of people who stress over their student loans, lose their homes, their cars,” he said.

According to the Education Data Initiative, Georgia has some of the highest federal student loan debt per borrower.

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