An Iowa Teenager raised over $12,000 for a local food pantry as a way to help those in need.
Thirteen-year-old Joshua LeRette has spent the past four years raising thousands of dollars for his local food pantry. He recently donated $12,583 that slowly accumulated over the years.
Joshua started his compassionate venture in the third grade after he heard one of his classmates didn’t have food at Thanksgiving. In response, Joshua asked his friends and family to donate canned goods in lieu of his birthday presents. He was able to gather 100 cans from his request to donate to the local food pantry in Red Oak and hasn’t stopped since.
Joshua slowly built up the cash for his most recent donation with bake sales and lemonade stands.
Joshua’s mother, Dawn said – “I’ve seen people pay more than $50 for one of his pies.”
The teenage entrepreneur has also invited other community members to donate their pies as well.
But Joshua doesn’t take in just high donations. One woman who could only contribute a dollar was allowed to choose anything on the bake sale table. “Those are the people we do this for,” Dawn said.
The motivation behind Joshua’s benevolent work is to help kids in school, believing that if kids aren’t thinking about being hungry, they’ll be able to focus on their studies.
According to the Christ Cupboard, a food pantry run by First Covenant Church in Red Oak, recipients of the donated goods are often struggling to make ends meet.