At age 9, Claire Guyader wanted to help others. She made $100 from chores. Claire gave that to the homeless. Then the pandemic hit. “Covid took a toll on many families,” she explained. “And there was even a bigger need at the local food bank.” Claire decided to support a food bank in San Luis Obispo, California. Now she’s 13. And she’s raised $10,000!
Claire created a newsletter to make more money. It has gardening tips, a plant of the week, and jokes. The $1 monthly goes to the San Luis Obispo (SLO) Food Bank. “It is amazing to see people’s ,” said Claire. “And many subscribers give more than the subscription amount.”
Claire uses Thanksgiving to help those in need. “It’s a time of giving thanks and a time of sharing,” she explained. In 2021, Claire made Thanksgiving happier for many. She gave away $1,750. Then she did more the next year.
In 2022, Claire made a flyer. One company printed her flyers. Another put 7,000 flyers in their farm-to-table boxes. That way, more people learned about Claire’s efforts. Claire got $5,000 from that.
In total, Claire has raised more than $10,000. That’s enough for 70,000 meals! But the teen does more than give money. Claire also her time. She packages food at the food bank. And she harvests crops at farms.
Claire is again working to make Thanksgiving brighter. She hopes others will see that they can help too. She had advice.
“Be creative,” suggested Claire. “Have a plan from the heart, and care about it.” She added: “You can achieve anything you want — no matter your age.”
Updated November 20, 2023, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Gail Hennessey
