11-year-old boy changing lives of hundreds by collecting food for the hungry
WBBM
By Marie Saavedra, Edie Kasten
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — At just 11 years old, a little guy with a big heart already has changed the lives of hundreds of families for the better.
Leo Bonilla has some very strong feelings about people going hungry. He said it just isn’t fair, and he’s doing something about it.
From the looks of things, the 5th grader seems like any other kid his age.
After all, has his favorite school subjects – social studies and recess – his favorite food – Lucky Charms and Froot Loops – and then there are his career aspirations.
“I want to be a baseball player,” he said.
But how many kids Leo’s age can say they’ve been helping feed hungry people for years?
Yes, for years, Leo has been organizing food collections for families in the far northwest suburbs.
“I know if I didn’t have food, I would be very sad, and I’m sure all the people that don’t have food are,” he said.
His mom, Casey, and dad, Ed, said it all started when Leo was 5 years old.
“We were just watching the news, and they were showing footage of people waiting two hours for food,” Casey said. “He just asked, ‘What are they waiting for?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, they’re waiting for food.'”
“I thought it wasn’t fair that they didn’t have food, because they don’t deserve that,” Leo said.
That was Leo’s “aha” moment.
“He immediately, ‘Well, what about the change I’m collecting? Can I give them my money?'” Casey said.
Of course, she said yes, and offered to match it.
“I brought it up to my mom and my family, and they’re like we’ll match it. Before we knew it, we had $100,” Casey said.
They decided to donate the money to the District 300 Food Pantry, but Leo wasn’t finished yet.
He and his mom made a Facebook video with a link so people could make their own donations.
“I think we had it open for a week, and [we made] $1,700 that first year,” Casey said. “We’ve actually done it five years now. … so it’s about over $10,000 he’s raised monetary through these Facebooks.”
“He’s always had a lot of empathy for people. So, in a way, it wasn’t too surprising,” Ed said.
There’s more. Leo organizes food collections in his neighborhood and at his school, Neubert Elementary in Algonquin.
“My 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Kumm, helped out a lot,” Leo said.
“It’s really fun to watch as these kids are loading the trucks,” said Leo’s former teacher, Patty Kumm. “They have a sense of pride. They feel so good about themselves, and it’s all because of Leo and what he started.”
You can bet the folks at the District 300 Food Pantry are big fans. They even gave Leo one of their first “Hunger Champions” awards.
“It’s very unique to have an elementary student that has that sort of a passion, and a kid that will actually follow through, and he keeps following through year after year,” said District 300 Food Pantry facilities manager Chuck Bambales. “This year, the fundraising was over $3,300, and I want to say it was 2,500 to 3,000 pounds of food. We brought our box truck over and we filled up four pallets. So it was a lot.”
Next year, Leo leaves Neubert for middle school.
“I told him he couldn’t leave. No, I did tell him that jokingly. We are going to miss him,” Kumm said. “He is such a kind, caring, just such a good person, and he really tries his best, and he tries to help others. It’s just so wonderful.”
But to Leo, it’s all really simple.
“It brings me joy to see people getting food, and it helps a lot. So they get food and everybody’s happy,” Leo said.
His final food for thought?
“Keep helping out, and the world will be a better place,” he said.
Leo turned the school food drives into fun events. There are classroom and even district-wide competitions. Neubert Elementary is this year’s winner.
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