Eleven-year-old Ohio boy starts donation drive to help families in need

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Eleven-year-old Micah Suttle is living proof that you're never too young to make a difference. He recently organized a donation drive with his entire fifth grade class to support families transitioning out of homelessness. 

"I think it was really cool that I got to get people involved with community service and hope they keep doing it," Suttle said.

Suttle was inspired by Seeds of Caring, a Columbus-based nonprofit that empowers kids to give back and make a meaningful difference in their communities. He and his siblings have been involved with the group for years.

"One of the things that I have seen firsthand at Seeds of Caring is that we really underestimate kids and what they are capable of," Seeds of Caring director of development Stephanie Christie said.

And sometimes all it takes is some compassion and education to make a true impact. Seeds of Caring teaches students like Suttle about the causes of social issues. The goal is to encourage them to use their hearts, hands, and minds for good, something that comes easy for Suttle.

"You don't always have to look at the good side," Suttle said. "You have to look at the bad things that we need to fix in this earth. And I think it's really nice to try to do everything I can to help those bad things."

With that in mind, Suttle rallied the entire fifth grade to collect over a hundred essential items for families transitioning out of homelessness. 

"It just warms my heart because he is connecting the dots and putting his feelings into action. Which is really what we hope all kids do and all people do," Home for Families president and CEO Beth Fetzer-Rice said. 

The students collected everything from household supplies to toiletries. They even made handwritten cards of encouragement for the families receiving the items. Those items were then given to Home for Families, a group that partners with families and youth to resolve their housing crisis, strengthen financial stability, and bridge education gaps to prevent future homelessness. According to leaders, the donations come at a critical time.

"It's incredibly important," Fetzer-Rice said. "It's expensive, and it's not necessarily something that's covered by grants. So, it fills a huge piece of our budget, but we need it because families don't just need four walls, right? They need the things that go in the house to make it home."

Suttle hopes to inspire his peers to participate in community service. 

"Micah is a great example of why Seeds of Caring exist," Christie said. "We know that kids are innately helpers. They want to help and they want to give back. And Seeds of Caring is able to give them an outlet to do that in a way that they can understand what they're doing."

And Suttle's work isn't done. He said in middle school he wants to start a community service club.

"Kindness is always the answer, and you should just keep trying no matter what," Suttle said.

Home for Families has already begun distributing the supplies to help families get back on their feet. To learn more about the organization you can visit this link. To learn more about the work Seeds of Caring does, visit this link.