Last Thanksgiving, 9-year-old Beau Wilkins glumly stared as his plate overflowing with warm, delicious food — turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and a slice of chocolate pie.
“Mom, does everybody have turkey on Thanksgiving?” asked Beau, sitting at his grandmother’s dining room table.
“No,” responded his mother, Allison Wilkins.
With a look of sadness, Beau didn’t dig in. The Douglasville child with a cherubic face and freckles stood up. He wanted to share the family’s Thanksgiving meal with a family in need — and he was ready to sacrifice his very own meal.
By then, it was already well into the evening and simply too late to plan anything. His mother told him: “hold onto that wish,” they would organize a meal for the less fortunate next year.
In early September at the first hint of fall, Beau, now 10, told his mom it was time to start planning. And he informed his mother of his lofty goal: feed 50 families in need in his community.
“I knew he would never forget about wanting to do this,” said Wilkins. “But I wasn’t expecting anything so big. But I wanted to support him, and told him to grab a piece of paper, and let’s get planning.”
Mom and son jotted down the logistics and fleshed out a menu. They set up a GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/helpingbeau) with the goal of raising $5,000. The family quickly realized others in their community with big hearts wanted to join the effort. Donations poured in, with one person donating $1,100 and another family donating $1,490. They enlisted the help of 10 volunteers. Hunter Memorial Park in Douglasville gave the family permission to use a room at the facility as a pick up spot for families. A local Kroger store set up a collection bin, and school and county officials helped spread the word to identify 50 families in need. Jennifer Jimmie, assistant principal at Beau's school, Mason Creek Elementary School, helped connect Beau and his family with a caterer, J.T. Fuller of Big J's Catering in Villa Rica. Fuller has offered to cook the entire feast for free.
“I grew up in south Georgia with nothing,” said Fuller. “I didn’t have running water in my house. I know how much something like this can mean to someone, and I wanted to be a part of this.”
Each family will receive a smoked turkey weighing between 15 and 20 pounds along with all the trimmings. Macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and one of Beau’s favorite holiday treats — chocolate pie — will be made from scratch. Each family will receive enough food for a large family and still have plenty of leftovers.
Beginning Tuesday, Fuller is planning to dedicate at least 14 hours to preparing the meals. Beau will be there to help chop, mix and do whatever is needed to get everything finished.
Beau, known for being a quiet, unassuming 5th grader, is inspiring many.
“He is very humble,” said Kathleen French, Beau’s school principal. “To see someone so young so heartfelt about the needs of his community is very touching. Beau is not a grand-stander,” she said. “He has very quietly taken on this huge endeavor. And to see how deeply he cares about this community — it’s really a beautiful thing.”
On a recent afternoon, Beau and his mother were planning another trip to the grocery store to finish buying all of the necessary items: including 70 pounds of green beans, 75 pounds of sweet potatoes, 40 pounds of mushrooms and 9 gallons of milk and the list goes on.
A total of $5,300 has been raised; with Beau and his family are on target to have about $300 leftover.
Beau plans to spend any remaining funds on Christmas gifts for children in need. And he can’t wait to meet the families he is helping.
“I am excited about seeing the families happy and smiling,” he said.
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