Seven-year-old Elijah set out to feed one homeless man he’d met in his hometown. But just like Jesus, who multiplied the bread and fish to feed 5,000, He multiplied Elijah’s efforts and allowed him to help feed over 50 homeless women and children.

 

“We were riding in the car one day when we met a homeless man named Andrew,” shares Elijah’s mom Toni. “Elijah had learned about homelessness in one of his classes and upon realizing this man was homeless, he wanted to give him a meal. Shortly thereafter, we met another homeless man named Doc. This is when the light bulb went off for Elijah and he realized just how big this problem was, so he started thinking bigger.”

 

 

One of Elijah’s friends had shown him how to make wallets out of duct tape. This gave him an idea—if he could make enough wallets and sell them for $1.00, he could make enough money to feed both of these men a very filling meal.

 

“The idea just really took a life of it’s own,” shares Toni. “At first Elijah was only asking for a dollar per wallet, but then he started asking for donations and before long, he had enough to feed 25 people. Then his homeschool group jumped in to help. They sold wallets at the YMCA, then to friends, family, neighbors and local businesses. When all was said and done, Elijah had raised enough to feed almost 50 people.”

 

 

With the help of Anchor Trailways, who provided transportation for the guests of the Mission, Elijah treated close to 50 homeless women and children to dinner at Demos in Hendersonville. Upon hearing the story, the manager of Demos discounted the meals, so they were able to give everyone a little spending money after dinner was over. Elijah’s church, Long Hollow Baptist, donated Bibles, which were handed out to all the guests.

 

“It was an unbelievable experience,” shares Toni. “One of the women told me at the restaurant just how much this meant to her. She said, ‘It’s been a long time since I got dressed up to go out to dinner. Being served dinner and eating off of a plate, as opposed to a tray made me feel human again. I’m so grateful.’ It brought tears to my eyes.”

 

 

A mother and her daughter heard about what Elijah was doing and showed up at Demos that night with goodie bags for all the guests. It turned into a huge party.

 

That night, after returning home from this exciting event, Elijah turned to his mom and said, “Momma, did you see the smiles on their faces? We did that. God did that. What a blessing.”