Eastern Iowa 4th Grader Opens Food Pantry To Help Others

What do you do when you're about to turn 10-years-old in the midst of a pandemic that won't let you have a birthday party? In the case of Peyton, above, you turn it into a positive for others.

Peyton's mom realized it wouldn't be possible for her son to have a normal birthday party this year. Knowing how much he loved getting mail, she posted a reminder on Facebook that her little guy was about to celebrate. She asked her family and friends to send him a birthday card if they could.

Her family and Facebook friends came through, and not just with cards. Peyton also received a bunch of money. While he could've easily kept all that cash for himself, that's likely not something Peyton even considered. As he told WQAD, Peyton has been donating to those less fortunate since he was in kindergarten or so. He knew what he wanted to do with that money.

Instead of pocketing the cash, Peyton took approximately one hundred dollars and started Peyton's Pantry, a food pantry inside a laundromat in Muscatine. His display of free food includes soup, vegetables, noodle packets, instant potatoes, and more. There's one particular item available that lends a clue that this food pantry was started by a youngster. Candy canes.

Peyton says he'd someday like to expand his food pantry to other places. As he told WQAD, "One kid can change the world." For Peyton, this is likely just the first step.