A seven-year-old boy from Huron Township wanted to do a good deed. So, he turned to family and friends to help him pass out food to the needy in Detroit.
Gavin Swihart spent the day after Thanksgiving getting plenty of "thanks" from folks receiving a hot meal.
Last week, he told his mom he wanted to do something nice for people in need.
He said, "Because I wanted to help people out and because I wanted to help the homeless."
Gavin asked family and friends to donate food and time to make 100 hot meal and 150 bagged lunches to pass out.
The idea came after Gavin started noticing homeless people on the side of the road.
"Driving around on the on-ramps and we've seen some people that needed some help, so he wanted to do a get together with a group and help on a bigger scale than just the one or two people we were helping out," said Charissa Swihart, his mother.
They setup outside of the Rosa Parks Transit Center.
Gavin said, "It's the middle of the town so there is going to be a lot of people."
The family packed up their RV. They have a microwave and oven to serve up hot meals.
Gavin spent Thanksgiving making sandwiches.
"We were making peanut butter and jelly and cheese and bologna, turkey," he explained.
Gavin led the team, from picking the dishes to designing their shirts.
"Before school the other day he drew this, what's on our shirts here, and he wanted us to make signs to pass out to let everybody know how much he cares and how much we care," Charissa explained. "It is definitely heartwarming and it's moving for us and we are really, really proud of him."
Many were stunned that this thoughtful idea came from a child.
Lloyd Truitt received a hot meal.
"That's beautiful," he said. "That's wonderful. A seven-year-old? That's great."
The family plans on making this an annual event and Gavin hopes others will be inspired to do that same.
He even came up with a motivational tag line.
Gavin added, "A little bit of love, a little bit of people and a little bit of awesomeness."
