After a pleasant encounter with a homeless on her birthday, one third-grader wanted to give back to the homeless community. So, she organized a whole event to feed the local homeless population!
Third Grader’s Positive Encounter
Little Jada Holmes felt delighted to head to the mall with her mom, Christa DeBose-Holmes, on her birthday. The day had begun with breakfast, sweets, and presents. Now a trip to the mall – could it get any better? Well, the young girl from Waco, Texas, didn’t expect to receive any gifts from strangers, however. But, the nine-year-old suddenly found a bill in her hand. When a homeless woman sitting outside the Richland Mall noticed the girl’s fabulous birthday crown, she unexpectedly got up and, smiling, gave Jada $20.
“We were coming out of the mall on her birthday and a lady stopped her and gave her money. The lady gave her $20 and I tried to tell her we couldn’t possibly take it and she said ‘no, no, no.’ She was so happy and told Jada that someone had just given her $100,” Christa said. Jada felt so moved by the lovely gesture that she simply could not forget it. As soon as she jumped back in the car, the little girl was already brimming with ideas. Little Jada knew one thing for sure: she wanted to feed the hungry. “Shortly after my daughter said ‘we should feed the hungry, like the lady who gave me money for my birthday,'” Christa continued. “She didn’t have much, but she still gave [Jada] something.'”
Giving Back To The Homeless Woman
Soon enough, the mom and daughter team found themselves on a journey. While it had started with the wonderful homeless woman, the next step was a fundraiser for the food. At first, Jada and Christa only contacted friends and family members for donations. This first time around, they earned $150 to buy pizza, drinks, and fruits for the homeless. The mother-daughter duo stood in the middle of Meyer Center in Waco, handing out pizza slices, bottles of water, apples, and oranges to any homeless person that needed them. They fed over 40 people sleeping on streets during the event, which the third-grader named “Pizza My Heart Day.”
“I wanted to help the community with Pizza My Heart Day because the homeless lady was nice to me on my birthday,” Jada said afterward. At first, Christa had felt a little nervous, not knowing how the homeless would react to the water, pizza, and fruit. After all, she had never done anything like that. But both Christa and Jada felt overwhelmed by the positivity they felt that day. Everyone had smiles on their faces! “I honestly felt a little bad because we only had pizza and apples and oranges and everyone kept saying, ‘I can’t remember the last time we had pizza,'” Christa recalled.
Now, Jada would like to make Pizza My Heart Day a quarterly event and expand the donations to any and all who want to get involved. In fact, she’s already set up a fundraiser for the next one! To help email [email protected] or call (254) 284-4448.
Sources: 102.7 Coyote Country, MSN