One eighth grader has taken it upon himself to help out his fellow students who are less fortunate, by creating a school closet where classmates can select clothing for themselves free of charge.
Chase Neyland-Square is a student at Port Allen Middle School, Louisiana.
Chase helped set up and run “PAM’s Pantry”, a place where fellow students can go for anything they might need during school time.
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Families who need to use the pantry can come at any time and with no questions asked.
The pantry is filled by donations from other students and other local residents. The clothes are then washed and hung up for anyone to take.
Chase was quoted as saying that the pantry could do with a few more pairs of shoes, however, so if you’ve a spare pair lying around, you know where to send them!
Chase may only be 13, but his community spirit is something that we can all learn from.
Chase told CBS , “I know that everybody doesn’t have things and I’m fortunate to have things that other people don’t have, and I look at it as sometimes, how would I feel in that situation?”
“Pam’s Pantry” contains writing equipment, cleaning supplies, and clothes for less fortunate students.
The story of Chase’s amazingly big heart has gone viral across the internet, with thousand applauding the 13-year-old for his amazing community spirit.
Chase told Good Morning America that he “wanted to make a difference.”
Chase went on to tell GMA , “My favorite part about helping with the pantry is getting types of clothes and sorting them out to give to various people.”
This also isn’t the first time that Chase has been involved in charitable work.
According to Chase’s mother, Amanda, “He seems to have a great passion for people. It makes me proud because we’re very blessed and I always encourage him to bless others.”
Jessica Major, the principal at Port Allen Middle School, outlined the idea’s inception.
Ms Major said that the idea was formed by the students in their SPARK (Student Program for Arts, Recreation, and Knowledge program), when brainstorming ideas about how to better the school.
Major told Good Morning America, “We really want the kids to feel like they have somewhere to go when they need something. We only have 215 kids so we’re able to get to know them really well…and try to help them where we can”
Chase has previously collected 700 pairs of socks for the homeless.
At a time when homelessness is so high in the US, it is good to see a child as young as 13 doing whatever he can to help those in need.
Chase also said that he hopes he can turn PAM’s Pantry into something bigger!
Chase said that he hopes he can come back to work at PAM’s Pantry, as well as “hoping one day I can turn it into a non-profit organization.”
When I was 13 I barely knew what I wanted to do when I got home, never mind what I wanted to do when I grew up! I’m still not entirely sure what I want to be when I grow up, and that happened a long time ago.
Even the icy heart of the internet has been melted by Chase’s charitable work.
One person even tweeted, “I vote this young man for president”.
With people like Chase going out of their way to help others, it really gives you hope for the future.
At a time when the media is so full of conflict and divisions, it is a refreshing change of pace to see a story about a young boy simply trying to helping out those less fortunate than him in any way that he can.
