Feeding Others

When Elaina Johnson was 7, she came up with a plan to feed hundreds of people. “She wanted to make sack lunches” for people experiencing homelessness, her grandmother Shalynda Lund told TIME for Kids. Each bag held a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, a piece of fruit, a drink, chips, and a granola bar. “We went downtown and she handed them all out,” Lund said. “All 400 of them.”

Helping others comes naturally to the young Broomfield, Colorado, resident. “I saw that there were a lot of people that needed food,” Elaina told TFK. “At the time, I didn’t understand why.” But she knew she wanted to be part of the solution. She says, “As soon as I could help, I wanted to help.”

SHE CARES Elaina Johnson assembles care packs for people in Broomfield, Colorado, in September.

Elaina is now 10. She remains dedicated to the fight against hunger and food insecurity.

Relieving Hunger

When a person is hungry, it can be hard for them to concentrate at school or work. Hunger can make them feel cranky or unmotivated. Over time, not having enough to eat can harm a person’s physical and mental health.

In Colorado, around 11% of residents say they don’t always eat as much as they think they should. They say they aren’t able to afford enough food. That’s according to a survey published earlier this year by the Colorado Health Institute.

Of course, hunger is not a problem only in Colorado. “Hunger affects people in every single community nationwide,” Justin Levy says. He’s the executive director of Conscious Alliance, a nonprofit hunger-relief group based in Elaina’s hometown.

Levy has known Elaina since 2021. That’s when she and her grandmother went to the group’s national distribution center to collect food and supplies to help people in need. “What she’s doing is incredible,” Levy says. “She has the drive and the spirit and kindness and compassion to really make a difference.”

WE CAN DO IT! Elaina (right) and a fellow volunteer help out at a food bank.

Food Hero

This past July, Elaina was honored by Hormel Foods as one of its 10 under 20 Food Heroes. The company’s annual award goes to young people in the United States who are fighting hunger. Elaina is the youngest person to receive the award this year.

Soon after receiving the award, Elaina was honored at a Broomfield City Council meeting. “We just wanted to celebrate her,” council member Heidi Henkel told TFK. “We really wanted to support her and just make her feel like her city and county [are] behind her.”

SUPPORT FROM THE CITY Elaina (center) poses with the Broomfield City Council after receiving recognition for her efforts.

Henkel has been impressed by Elaina’s efforts to feed migrants who have moved to Colorado from other countries. Many of the newcomers are kids. Elaina put together snack bags just for them. She and her grandmother delivered the food to local shelters. “She made sure that the kids were feeling welcomed,” Henkel says. “That they had something to call their own.”

“I feel proud,” Elaina says, when asked about her work and the recognition she’s received. “No matter if you’re young, old, short, tall, you can always do something” to help others, she says.

Inspired?

Let Elaina’s story inspire you to take action in your community. Click below for ideas about how you can fight food insecurity.