Seven-year-old boy donates 250kg of food to Foodbank
A Murraylands boy who’s captured people’s hearts by wanting to help homeless people has delivered food and items to Foodbank after a fundraising effort.
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A seven-year-old Mypolonga Primary student has raised $550 and gathered almost 40 bags of food to help people in need.
After reading a book at school about a hungry bilby, The Bilbies of Bliss, earlier this term, Hunter felt sorry for the bilby and started to think about how he could help hungry and homeless people.
He shared his thoughts with his parents, who looked into ways he could help, and – as Murray Bridge News reported last month – decided he wanted to do a food drive.
Hunter’s kindness and sensitivity touched many people, who donated money, food and useful items.
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Hunter’s mother Sarah said that Mypolonga Primary had been fantastic in getting behind her son’s cause.
“The school values kind people and good morals, and it shows,” she said.
“The school SRC ran a casual day so that students could bring a gold coin.
“They raised $151 in gold coins and another eight bags of food, and we already had 25 to 30 bags.”
On Friday night, Hunter’s family went to Woolies and spent the donated money on practical goods and food such as cereals and spreads.
“We got a trolley loaded to the brim with stuff we didn’t get a lot of (in the donations), like sanitary items, cleaning items, lots of nappies and Christmas items,” Sarah said.
“Hunter loaded the trolley and the conveyor belt and told the checkout check about it.”
Hunter, his parents and his sister Blair later went to Foodbank’s Murraylands Food Hub with their goods to do the handover.
Foodbank weighed the items from Hunter’s food drive, and the total weight came to an impressive 250.98 kilograms.
While the weighing took place, Hunter ate a well-deserved chocolate doughnut.
Hunter’s family were full of pride about how their son’s gift would brighten the lives of many people doing it tough in the Murraylands.
“We’re proud to see how he’s helping other people, to see him show that level of commitment – he’s only seven,” Hunter’s father Matt said.
Sarah and Matt said they had talked with Hunter about how grateful they were to have their home and life; but Hunter had always had his own strong sense of compassion.
“He’s always noticed people sleeping in the streets and stuff,” his mum said.
Hunter sent a thank you video to everyone who donated to his food drive and said about his food drive that he felt “Good. Probably grateful for doing this.”
- More information: foodbank.org.au.
- Get help: Visit AC Care at 29 Bridge Street, Murray Bridge; the Salvation Army at 1 Fourth Street; or Murray Bridge Community Centre at 18 Beatty Terrace; to access food relief from Foodbank, you must have a referral from a church or welfare agency.
