You think you now know what makes your child happy, scared and happy. But then comes one thing, one insignificant revelation, and it makes you totally feel ashamed of them. That day I found a dusty shoe box under my son’s bed. Continuing through the pockets, the gum underwent examination, there being rubber-banded bundles of crumpled dollar bills, neatly piled-quarters and a couple shabby five dollar bills. I was unable to move and pondered what this secret cache was for.
I gave him enough for lunch and snack for the week and a pizza or ice cream day if the school was lucky enough to get the extra money. Then what was the source of this money? Was it something he had been saving? A brand-new toy? A video game?
I asked, and his eyes darted uncertainly until he didn’t know how to react. His mouth was an empty shell at first, as if he was neither frightened nor embarrassed. He then spoke something, at last.
‘I have kept this for the animals at the shelter,’ he said. I see cats and dogs in need of food and medication on the internet.” So I reasoned why I couldn’t skip lunch and assist them.
My heart stopped beating. My son, out of elementary school, had been taking peanut butter sandwiches from home that he’d forfeited his cafeteria favourites and gone without.
It was a pride and grief I was overcome with. I failed to realize that, when he was so preoccupied providing me with the things that would make me happy—his favorite snacks, pleasurable weekends, and a few comforts—he was silently sacrificing them for a cause beyond himself.
I asked him how he did not tell me.
“I didn’t want you to stop me,” he said. I know that’s strange but I concluded that if I only kept saving it may turn out to be good. Mother, they have no one.
That night I hugged him tighter than I had in ages. He wasn’t looking for attention. What he did not desire was praise. He only wanted to help.
Over the next day I called the local animal shelter. I was just interested in a little bit of their need and how we can help them. The food, medicine, cleaning materials, everything was never enough. Medical care was ashamed for a lack of donations of course.
I brought my kid to the shelter to introduce him to the animals he had been quietly saving for. We were given a kind welcome by the employees. Hearing of him —“the youngster saving his lunch money to feed the animals”—they were inspired by his altruism. They gave us license to visit the facility, clean the kennels, and help with feeding the animals.
Then my youngster stopped when we passed one cage. It contained a tiny brown dog squirming into the corner.
“He looks so scared,” he whispered.
“He just came in,” one of the personnel said. Despite this, I am still not familiar with trust.
My son said he wanted to help him. It was no longer in the general sense, it was personal. He sought to calm the puppy.
And we would match every dime he had saved when we left, I’d promised him. We would also be there and be of service any how we can. What came next was something I was definitely not expecting.
Two weeks prior to the shelter’s annual fundraiser, they were about to start preparing for it and my kid was asked to speak at the shelter. At first, he resists since he is a shy child. However, he eventually agreed. That evening, he shared his experience in front of a huge group of strangers. Powerful, quiet, and honest. Which pizza and ice cream he gave up to help other’s animals.
The room was still. Then there was a clatter.
A week later however, the story was picked up by a local news outlet. It ran on the front page: The Youngster Who Put Away His Lunch Money to Help Animals The community reacted right away. More donations than it had in years were passed over to the shelter. They arranged for baking sales in his honour, people volunteered, and schools kicked off kindness initiatives in his name.
Something even more significant then happened.
A nonprofit foundation got a massive investment from them after being motivated by his narrative, which helped them to expand. They also helped expand medical capacity, enhance medical care, find homes for even more animals.
A fearful dog cowering in a corner was seen by my kid and it was taken in by a caring family. I went to see him in his new house, content, safe, and healthy. My son smiled. That one act of kindness, that one instant, had caused things to do and never to return to the way they once were.
This whole experience brought to the forefront to me the power of a single silent act of kindness. He only wanted to help; he was not seeking to be a hero. He did not take for himself or shout it to the rafters. However, his actions transformed lives.
It does not mean that we had no idea what the thoughts or feelings of those closest to us were or aren’t. That, however, is occasional and usually changes our lives.
Therefore, I confirmed that no act of compassion is too small. Only one sandwich that doesn’t come home to the family, only one dollar saved or opened heart for another can have a better effect on more people than we can sort it out.
If this touched you, please share this story. We cannot forget that there was such a thing as what to do when, done quietly, show yourself caring. You know it, one considerate child got it. It is sometimes the type that changes the world.
