By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
At 11 years old, Jack Smith is a math whiz, hockey lover, primo Pokeman card collector and a young man with a big heart.
For eight years, or nearly 73% of his life, the Kenwood Elementary School fifth grader has collected food and money donations instead of gifts at his December birthday parties. The gathered goods, from canned vegetables and boxed pasta to diapers and cat food, are turned over to the Brown Bag Food Project that sits two blocks from his house.
“I’ve always wanted to help people. When I found out some kids don’t have as much food as I do, I wanted to help because food is key to survival and comfort,” he said during a recent interview.
Ellen Fure Smith, his mother, said her son has been an old soul, an empath, since he was little, always caring about the plight of others. He was four years old when he became aware of food insecurity, and they brainstormed ideas for how he could help.
With a birthday on Dec. 18, just a week before Christmas, Jack realized he would be getting more than enough gifts. His parents had read him Kaethe Zemach’s children’s book “Just Enough and Not Enough,” and he embraced the book’s lesson about getting and giving.
His superhero-themed fourth birthday party invitations asked friends and family to be heroes themselves by bringing nonperishable food or other household items instead of a gift. Jack doesn’t remember how many items he collected in that first year or for several years after, but he felt good knowing a little effort could go a long way in helping others.
Jack’s drive to do more started a few years ago. The family was on their way to Slater Ice Arena for Jack’s Ice Cats hockey practice when they saw a long line of cars near the Brown Bag Food Project. He couldn’t believe how many people were waiting to get food during the organization’s distribution hours. He vowed to collect more food and money donations.
The need is great and has only grown since the pandemic in 2020. According to the Brown Bag Facebook page, they have nearly doubled the number of households and individuals they have served in the past two years. In 2021, they provided food and household items to 1,863 households and 5,801 people, that included 902 new households and 2,753 new individuals. In 2022, the numbers increased to 3,412 households and 10,918 people; of those, there were 894 new households and 2,635 new individuals.
In 2020, the year of COVID-19, a face-to-face birthday party wasn’t possible, so Jack’s birthday request for donations and food items became a virtual ask. That was the year he collected more than 100 items – 107 to be exact, he pointed out.
The online ask for contributions has become part of the annual event now. And it has paid off.
In each of the following years he has doubled the number of items he delivered to the food pantry. He collected 243 items in 2021, and for 2022, he filled the family’s car trunk with 505 items. That’s enough food to provide for 30 families, according to Amy Holland, Brown Bag director and founder.
Jack collected the canned goods, packages of macaroni and cheese and other pastas, and items such as baby wipes and kitty litter from his circle of supporters. He also received monetary donations. “I had fun going to Aldi’s to buy food,” he said. He studied prices and figured out how to maximize the money to get the most items he could.
“I keep doing it because I like to make a difference, but also, people like my neighbors and relatives now expect me to do it,” Jack said.
“We are so grateful that he does this every year for us. We recall him donating every year since the first time. It has been fun watching him and his donations grow,” Holland said.
“It’s very important to us when children get involved, not just through donation but also volunteer. It is always good to teach them that there are situations beyond what they experience that cause people to need assistance. It’s also very rewarding for them to participate. We hope that teaching children to be involved, will help them grow up and be more compassionate and involved in their community,” she added.
“I’m really proud of the ripple effect this has created,” his mom said. He is inspiring so many people who see the impact his generosity is providing. Even his younger sister, Eloise, has watched her brother make a difference for others, and is thinking how she can do something similar.
Jack has not yet set a goal for 2023, but if history repeats itself, there could be 1,000 items delivered to the food pantry.
