9-year-old Harrison Organizing a Community Food Drive

It isn’t every day that you meet a nine-year-old who is actively leading efforts to prevent hunger in Western New York. That’s what makes Harrison so special — this fourth grader just wrapped up the fifth year of his annual community food drive.

It all started when Harrison, who was five at the time, went to his parents wanting to make a difference. “He asked if we could give [people facing hunger] our food,” his dad, Nathan, says. He adds, “it kind of went from there.”

The food drive happens every year around the holidays, when Harrison leads his neighborhood and wider community in donating money or food items for FeedMore WNY. With any donated funds, Harrison goes with his family to the grocery store and purchases large quantities of shelf-stable food and delivers it to FeedMore’s food distribution warehouse.

To Harrison, help is something everyone needs. He’s happy to look out for the people around him. “You won’t survive if you don’t have food,” he says. “What if you didn’t have food?”

What started as a local neighborhood effort has grown significantly in five years. Now, the family uses social media to expand their reach, and the drive is announced at Harrison’s school, too. Local businesses have stepped up to help as well.

“We have every reason to believe this will continue to grow over time,” Harrison’s mom, Jocelyn, says, looking with excitement towards the future.