Paris Williams may just be entering first grade this fall, but this little girl has big dreams and an equally big heart. Since last year, the lass has made it her mission to help the underprivileged, specifically the homeless.
The 6-year-old from Kirkwood, Missouri, was first inspired to help people living on the streets after a reading a book called “One Boy’s Magic” by Cari Chadwick Deal.
“I kinda wanted to give some food to the homeless like the boy in the book,” she said.
And so she did.
Last year, she asked her mom, Alicia Marshall, how she could make a difference in the lives of the homeless.
“She was reading books at school about giving and she came home one day, and she was like, ‘I want to give back to the homeless. What can we do to help the homeless?’” Alicia recalled.
They brainstormed and came up with the plan of giving away care packages filled with food, water, and other essential items. Her parents gathered the goods, while Paris took it upon herself to place them in the bags and put a drawing or sweet note on them. She named these “Paris Care Packages.”
“Well I would help put in all the food and help draw all the pictures on the bags,” she said.
So far, Paris and her parents have delivered over 500 care packages to the homeless people in their locality!
When the coronavirus pandemic began, they had to switch to no contact drop-offs, but their gifts came with the same amount of love.
Aside from distributing care packages, Paris has also donated around 250 meals to essential workers in their area. She also has big plans of holding a hot-food drive for the homeless this Thanksgiving and raising funds to buy toys for children this Christmas.
This Good Samaritan is also set to launch her own charity. The Paris Cares Foundation will be an official non-profit once the paperwork has been approved. In the meantime, Paris will keep on helping people in need as much as she can.
“It makes me really proud because with everything that’s going on in the world this small child who is entering first grade has such a big heart,” Alicia said. “She wants to give. She wants to help others.”
Paris continues to inspire her parents every day with her incredible generosity and kindness. Surely, the hundreds of strangers she has helped also feel the same.
“She is very outgoing. She is creative. She has a big heart. She’s always willing to help people,” said Alicia of her daughter.
“She’s the driving force behind everything and we are just trying to support her the best we can,” Alicia added.
Aside from making a difference in the lives of individuals in need, Paris wants to accomplish one other thing.
“I want to inspire people to do good things,” she said.
In 2019, Paris launched a fundraiser to support her mission. Her first two goals of collecting $1,000 and $2,500 have already been met. Now, she is pushing to meet her third goal of $5,000. So far, the fundraiser has collected $3,164. She is also selling t-shirts and masks, which you can purchase from her Bonfire account. All profits will go to feeding the homeless.
With all the horrible events happening in the world, more and more people are craving good news that gives hope, just like this one about a little girl with a big heart. You may watch the video below to learn more about Paris’ story.
Share this story to help Paris spread her mission of helping the homeless!