Ankeny Second-Grader Gives Back to Food Pantry in a Big Way

When it comes to giving back to those less fortunate, there is no age limit.

Just ask Jon Shelton, a second-grader at Ankeny’s Prairie Trail Elementary School, who went above and beyond this month for a food drive held in his classroom, led by teacher Katie Hall.

The assignment was for all first and second grade students at Prairie Trail to bring in some food items to donate to the Red Rock Area Community Action Program food pantry. With the help of his family and neighbors in Ankeny’s Sienna Hills development, Jon collected more than 60 bags of food.

“We couldn't be more proud of our son for holding his own food drive to help so many other local families,” said Jenny Shelton, Jon’s mother. “What a big difference a seven-year-old can make.”

The food drive started as a project for a literacy unit in Hall’s classroom. The original question the kids were asked, she said, was how a community can meet the needs of others. As a result, all students in both first and second grades were asked to bring in a food donation to their classroom.

Jenny said Jon had never participated in a food drive before, but giving is still emphasized in their home.

“As a family, we donate food when asked, we always put donation change into collection pots and we try to talk to our children about the importance of giving,” Jenny said. “We make it perfectly clear that everyone should work and do their fair share but sometimes people just need help for one reason or another, and that’s what neighbors do – they help each other.”

Still, she was more than surprised when Jon let her know just how much he wanted to give back through his class project. When Jenny asked how many neighbors he wanted to ask for donations, he simply replied, “all of them.”

“I was very touched,” Jenny said. “As a parent, you always hope that your child is picking up the core values that you are trying to instill in them.”

So Jenny printed off flyers for Jon to take to his neighbors – all 145 of them, to be exact. Jon, however, was unfazed by the amount of work he’d be required to put into the project, his mom said.

“Jon told me that he wanted to tape flyers to our entire development and not just to our small block,” Jenny said.

The entire Shelton family bundled up and set out on their mission, leaving flyers for their neighbors with Jon leading the way. The following Wednesday, they went back to collect the donations. Some of their neighbors even went as far as to write words of encouragement on the back of their flyers for Jon.

Back at Prairie Trail, Hall found out about Jon’s efforts a few days after she assigned the project.

“Jon came into the classroom with a flyer he and his parents had made,” Hall said. “I was in awe and so impressed that he had taken it upon himself to ask others. He has such a big heart and is always willing to help.”

On Thursday, Nov. 8, Jon and his mom brought a van-load full of food donations to Prairie Trail, where he got a little help from his classmates to carry all the donations into the school.

“I was so pleased and impressed,” Hall said. “I was happy the community came together to support a young boy who just wanted to give back.”

Jenny was more than pleased with their neighborhood’s response as well.

“To our neighbors of Sienna Hills, thank you,” Jenny said. “Their generosity alone made this a success. We are blessed to live in such a caring and friendly development.”