Prairie Grove student collects more than 1,000 pounds of food for Cary-Grove Food Pantry
Amelia Hamilton, a seventh-grader at Prairie Grove Junior High, surprised her parents when she told them she did not want Christmas gifts this year. Instead, she wanted to host a food drive to support people in her community who are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amelia said it didn't feel right to be focusing on gifts this year.
"I could see that a lot of people were hurting because of this," Amelia said. "Some people can't go home to nice meals or don't have enough food to not go hungry ... so I wanted to give back."
Although her mom, Carla, initially was surprised, she said this sort of thing is not out of character for daughter.
"She's a very practical kid," Carla Hamilton said. "She has seen what (COVID-19) has done to several families with job losses and understands that people are really facing some very harsh hardships, so when she said she would rather do this than have Christmas presents, it's not all that surprising actually because she just has that giving heart."
The drive began Dec. 1 with the goal of collecting 50 pounds of food to benefit the Cary-Grove Food Pantry, Amelia said. The drive ended Sunday with a grand total of 1,036 pounds of food donations and $80 in cash donations.
"We are incredibly proud of (Amelia)," Prairie Grove Junior High Principal Nicole Motl said in a statement Friday. "She found a way to help others during a time when so many are in need. Her generous actions can inspire us all to give and spread kindness to others in our community."
For three weeks, Amelia reached out to friends and family for donations. Her mom helped her put up a post on Facebook to garner the attention of the broader community, and they received an outpouring of support in response.
"It's been neat to see her family and her friends and the community just supporting her in this food drive. ... We're just so proud of her," Carla Hamilton said.
Amelia put a bin outside her house where people could leave their food items and diligently weighed the donations every night to keep track of her progress.
A few hundred pounds of donations came from one resident of Oakwood Hills - where Amelia and her family live - who told Amelia she had inspired him to give back.
"It was a pretty special moment," Carla Hamilton said. "He was explaining to (Amelia) that, unfortunately, he recently lost his job due to the pandemic and he was really feeling down."
The man saw the Facebook post about the drive and immediately went to the store to buy food to donate, which he told them gave him a sense of purpose when he needed it most, Carla Hamilton recalled.
Amelia said she hopes the donations will be used to help more local families have access to good food during the holiday season such as turkey and gravy - her personal favorite.
"The holidays should be a time to spend time with family and have some nice food," she said.