William Winslow is not your average 8-year-old.
While most children spend their free time riding bikes or sneaking biscuits from the cookie jar, this little boy from North Carolina in the US, had a clever idea to help children less fortunate than himself.
William’s food drive collected enough food and money to keep at least 16 children in his community fed for an entire year.
It all started when William heard about BackPack Buddies - hunger-relief program run by Inter-Faith Food Shuttle - from a guidance counsellor at school.
Struck by the problem of food insecurity in his own community, William asked his friends to bring donations for BackPack Buddies to his 7th birthday party instead of gifts.
Later, William's asked his mum to drive him to the local grocery store so he could talk to the manager about starting a food drive.
When his mother, Blythe Clifford, asked him what was bothering him so much, he told her, "I can’t stand the thought of my classmates being hungry."
William's first food drive, last February, raised $305 and collected 1,400 pounds of food.
This year, however, William wanted to expand.
William's second annual food drive began last week, with four grocery stores and a restaurant participating.
With the help of his parents and around 50 volunteers, William gathered 3,335 pounds of food and more than $3,000 in donations, so far.
Recently, the 8-year-old received a $500 grant from a nonprofit working to end childhood hunger called the Sodexo Foundation and he plans to expand the program even more.
What a generous little boy. Keep it up William!
