Monday, April 11, 2023
Meet Urijah, a 12-year-old boy from Riverside who has been making a difference since the age of 9. "Giving back makes me feel good, and through U.R. Wonderful, I would like to help create a community where kindness and giving back are a standard."
He organized his second food drive this spring. He aimed to raise 1,000 pounds of food, beating his Fall results. "I have learned from our friends at Feeding America Riverside San Bernardino (FARSB) about how big the food shortage is in our community. There are kids and families who go hungry every day, and we hope this food drive will help those in need. This way, they can focus on other things rather than worrying about hunger," stated Urijah.
On April 6, he came to our food bank and delivered all the shelf-stable foods he and his classmates had raised with the help of his family and teacher, Mr. Valdivia. "As Urijah's teacher, it was a humbling and rewarding experience to have mentored him during this 40-day Canned Food Drive Initiative," stated Mr. Valdivia.
Urijah was able to not only accomplish his goal but he was able to surpass it. Mr. Valdivia quickly learned that Urijah was a natural–born leader. His total donation was 1,051 pounds which will help create up to 875 meals for families in our community. "I feel really good because I feel like I accomplished something, and I hope other people can have the courage to speak more about food insecurity and they can help people in their communities," stated Urijah.
Urijah mentioned that he would do food drives yearly, especially during the holiday season, and exceed the poundage every time. Urijah's goal for next year is to help donated 2,000 pounds of food. "Urijah is very excited to continue working with FARSB throughout the summer and, in his words, forever," stated Sophia (Urijah's mom).