When I was four years old, my mom and I were listening to the radio and they were broadcasting this fundraiser for the local food pantry. I didn't know what a food pantry was, and at that point I didn't quite understand that not everybody had enough food. My mom explained it to me, and I was like, 'Oh my God, we have to do something.'
Olive | Madison, WI
“So we did…and kept doing it year after year. It’s become a tradition, not only for me, but for my whole family.”
Olive started fundraising for her local food pantry, the Fritz (inside the Goodman Community Center), when she was just four years old. Her mom is an artist, and helped her hatch ‘Olive’s Annual Art Sale.’
They started with the iconic children’s street-side money-maker: a lemonade stand. They do sell lemonade and cupcakes, but they added ART. Olive makes paintings, ceramic pieces, and jewelry. Sometimes she even recruits her mom and friends to contribute work. The sale lasts all day, and all proceeds go straight towards the food pantry.
The seed of empathy that started Olive on this food pantry journey has been with her her whole life, and it’s inspired her family to also join in. The day we met up with her, she was helping out at the Thanksgiving Basket Drive with her mom, dad, and grandparents.
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“Today we’re helping out at the Thanksgiving Basket Event. I’ve fundraised for the food pantry a long time, but volunteering at this event was the first time I got to see the direct benefit. We get to hand out food right to the people who need it. Knowing that you can make somebody else’s day a little brighter…it’s always a plus.”
-Olive | Madison, WI
