This girl is not even a teenager yet, but she’s feeding hundreds of people facing hunger in her community every month.
Twelve-year-old Kenzie Hinson founded the Make a Difference Food Pantry after learning that one in three children—and one in five elderly people—in her North Carolina community do not have enough to eat.
She opened the pantry out of a church a year ago and it now donates groceries to more than 1,000 people every month — and, perhaps more amazing, Kenzie knows the first and last names of every single client.
“It’s more than just about food,” Kenzie says, it’s how people feel when they walk in the door.”
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Tyson Foods heard about the girl’s good works and named her a winner of their Meals That Matter Hero award. Along with the honor, the company surprised her with a new commercial-sized freezer and a $20,000 donation to her food pantry.
“I got so excited when they surprised me with the gift that I couldn’t help but cry,” Kenzie told Good News Network. “Eventually, I want to make my food pantry into a warehouse and have a garden so we always have fresh produce—the commercial freezer and $20,000 check to help with expenses are bringing me one step closer to my goal!”
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There is one other major benefit she sees to winning the Meals That Matter Hero award: “I’m sure there are lots of other kids out there with ideas like mine to help people, and I hope that by sharing my story it will help other kids to see how much they are capable of.”
Well, it sure inspired us.
(WATCH her story, and see her surprise presentation in the video below)