She knew her goal was "really big," but that didn’t stop five-year-old Phoebe Russell from running a can drive to raise $1,000 for the San Francisco food bank.
What Phoebe didn’t expect was the overwhelming response from friends, family and strangers, helping her raise $3,736.30 in just a few weeks.
With the matching donations from the food bank, Phoebe’s donation represented $33,624 worth of food – enough to feed 17,971 people, Tonic.com reported.
Phoebe’s ambitious philanthropy stemmed from a community service project required for every graduating student at With Care Preschool.
To solicit donations of cans and money, Phoebe sent a letter to friends and family, which read, "My charity project is to raise lots of money for the S.F. Food Bank. They need money. I am collecting soda cans… thank you for helping me. My goal is really big!"
Written in a five-year-old’s handwriting, the letter tugged on the heartstrings of friends, families, and even local strangers who heard about the project, causing an outpouring of support.
Phoebe and her teacher were able to present the $3,736.70 check to the San Francisco Food Bank at the end of June.
Paul Ash, the executive director of the food bank, told Tonic.com that the donation was a "real emotional boost."
"I’m going to be speaking to a bunch of lawyers tonight, and I’m going to tell them about her," he told the news provider. "I’ll say, ‘If Phoebe Russell, five years old, can raise $3,700, we as adults can do more than we’re doing.’"
Phoebe’s contribution will help feed the one in four children and one in five adults who do not know where their next meal is coming from, according to the San Francisco food Bank, which distributes 33 million pounds of food each year.
[...] (This press release is a follow up to last year’s story about Phoebe Russell). [...]