A six-year-old girl from Savannah, Georgia, is on a mission to help as many homeless people in her community as she can by dolling out free “happy bags” to those in need.
As Good Morning America reported, Bethany Moultry has been donating the bags, filled with essential items, for almost a year now, and she’s not even close to slowing down yet. In fact, she’s only continued to expand her efforts, helping more and more people in any way she can.
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It all began last December when Bethany and her mom, Colleen, were approached by a homeless man asking for money.
In a Facebook post , Colleen wrote that this moment broke little Bethany’s heart, and she began to cry, begging her mom to break her piggy bank so she could give the man all the money she had.
“Here was my 5 year old daughter…worried about our neighbors who don’t have homes,” her mom wrote about that day. “Some of whom don’t have food or a place to lay their head at night.”
Together, Colleen and her daughter came up with another way for the youngster to help her community: Bethany’s Happy Bags for the Homeless.
When Bethany came up with the name, her mom was curious to know why she had decided to dub the gifts “Happy Bags.”
As her then-5-year-old daughter explained, the name is meant to spark joy. She wanted the people receiving the bags to know that someone out there cares about them, enough to put together a sweet little care package for them.
Bethany and Colleen started handing out the quart-sized bags of goodies to any homeless people they happened to come across in Savannah.
Inside each bag were items that someone living on the street might need, but likely doesn’t have immediate access to, including toiletries, a first aid kit, and some source of protein.
“We could’ve just given a donation to an organization, but with her being a child, I wanted to give her a tangible way to help others where she could see and understand who and how she was helping,” Colleen told GMA .
In less than a year, Colleen estimates that she and Bethany have handed out more than 750 “Happy Bags.”
And those bags have only continued to get bigger and bigger. While originally quart-sized, the pair now distribute gallon-sized sacks.
As Colleen wrote on Facebook , “They now include a drink, new socks, body wipes, tuna or chicken salad, a fruit cup, bug spray, sun screen, deodorant, soap, and every single bag has a hand written note to let the recipient know that someone cares and is thinking about them.”
As word of Bethany’s “Happy Bags” spread throughout their community, more and more people reached out to help the youngster with her worthy endeavor.
Now she and her mom have partnered with their local homeless authority, police department, and shelters for women and children to help with distribution. They’ve also received donations through an Amazon wish list , and have had local schools help with putting the “Happy Bags” together.
“Seeing the amount of people she’s helped — I don’t think I ever could’ve imaged that it would turn into what it’s turned into,” Colleen said . “I’m just proud. Proud mama over here.”
Bethany recently turned 6 years old, and in place of presents, she simply asked for more supplies to fill up her “Happy Bags”.
“I did not expect her to say that,” Colleen admitted. “I was expecting a new bike or big doll house. It really surprised me. At that point I knew I needed to find a way to make that happen.”
Her daughter added, “They don’t have a home or have a lot of stuff. It makes me feel happy and feel good to help other people.”
To learn more about Bethany’s “Happy Bags” and learn how you can help donate to this youngster’s cause, make sure you check out her official Facebook page .
h/t: Good Morning America
