A 7-year-old boy from Maryland shipped a trailer full of COVID-19 essential supplies for Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Cavanaugh Bell donated a truck-full of supplies ahead of winter, including canned foods, cleaning supplies, and other essential items.
"I'm just trying to do what is best for them"
According to People.com, Cavanaugh Bell first learned about the place while passing through during their road trip back from Colorado two years ago. He said he thought of doing something for the people there since they are in the middle of nowhere.
Apart from its location, Bell also learned that Pine Ridge is considered the poorest county in the United States. The official poverty rate for American Indians in Pine Ridge is 53.75% while the national average is 15.6%. About 97% of its population lives below the U.S. federal poverty line.
Pine Ridge Reservation also struggles with the rising number of suicide among its youth. The teenage suicide rate is reported to be 150% higher than the national average.
Cavanaugh Bell established a nonprofit organization called Cool & Dope with the aim of ending all forms of bullying worldwide by 2030. He said that he was also being bullied for doing work faster than others. "I had the darkness inside me," he said, and he doesn't want other kids to feel the same.
Pine Ridge community expressed their appreciation for everything that Bell has done for them. "He believes he can save the world," a resident said, "and I believe him."
"Making positivity and kindness a thing"
It was while he was buying supplies for his grandma, who has asthma, that he got the idea to create care packs for other elderly people in their area who also need help during the pandemic. On March 14, the second-grader then used his $640 savings to purchase the first batch of supplies for the COVID-19 care packs that he made.
Since then, he was able to distribute hundreds of care packs locally and served hot meals to people in need. He also launched his "Love is Greater Than COVID-19 Community Pantry" to help the elderly and low-income students.
He is able to continue helping people through the help of volunteers and donations from the community through an Amazon wishlist, GoFundMe, and in-person donations, and help of businesses and other organizations.
His first delivery of supplies to Pine Ridge was on July 10, and then he followed it up this September with another batch of essential supplies. "Winter is horrible," he explained, and it is going to be a mix of flu and coronavirus. Weather is extreme on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Summer temperatures can reach more than 110 degrees while winters can go 50 degrees below zero or even lower. So, he thought of giving them clothes to stay warm, "like all of us, and have a happy life, like all of us."
"People need help during these times, so I'm just trying to stay positive and give back," Bell told Good Morning Washington.
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