In one day, 8-year-old William Winslow raised enough money and food to feed 16 kids for an entire year.

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This past weekend, the second-grader at AB Combs Elementary in Raleigh, N.C. wrapped up his second annual food collection drive for BackPack Buddies, an Interfaith Food Shuttle program providing low income students with healthy meals. William raised 3,300 pounds of food and $3,000, with donations still coming in.

He tells the Good News Blog that this is only the beginning.

"My dream is to do this worldwide," William remarks. "I think that kids should do this to help other kids that don't have enough."

Astute and caring, William learned about child hunger in school and decided last year he would find a way to do something about it. He asked his mother, Blythe Clifford, to drive him to a local grocery store so he could speak with the manager.

Though Clifford thought he was kidding, William surprised her.

"I asked the manager if I could stand outside and give out fliers," the young boy recalls. "He said he didn't have enough time and I was like, 'Come on, think about it. You get the money, I get the food.' Then he said, 'Okay sure.'"

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William decided the best course of action was to make a list of all the items BackPack Buddies needed, which included canned goods, oatmeal and ramen, and ask people to purchase something in the store to return on their way out.

The plan worked. Last year, William and his team brought in 1,400 pounds of food and $300 in cash, and this year considerably more. The event took place last weekend at four local grocery stores and a Mexican restaurant, where William convinced the owners to donate free cheese dip for everyone who brought in a can of food. He had over 50 volunteers assisting him, many of which were friends he trained himself.

"A lot of people think my husband and I are pushing him, but it's actually the opposite," Clifford remarks. "He's pushing us."

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In fact, William's hope is that he can one day get a warehouse so he will be able to bring in even more food, and maybe he'll find himself doing something like this for a living.

He recently was awarded a $500 grant from the Sodexo Foundation and his mother says plans are already in the works to take the program to a regional level next year.

"I think I raised so much because I care about it so much," William notes. "It makes me really happy."

Clifford adds, "I don't think he even understands the depth of what he's been able to do."

You can find out more about William's mission on this website, "The Food Drive Kid."

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