PASCO COUNTY — Nathan Williams is just a high school sophomore but is already part of an advisory board of teens working on new ways to help other children in the Tampa Bay area.
The non-profit is called Kids Helping Kids.
“I know there are a lot of people out there who are in need of help, and I just want to be there to help them," said Williams.
This holiday season, they’ve set up angel trees like the one at Raining Berries in Lutz.
People can give gifts to young girls rescued from human trafficking.
“That hits home to me because I know and I’ve been friends with people that don’t really have a lot, so I know for those people it means a lot for some random person who doesn’t even know them to want to give them a gift," said Williams.
Kids Helping Kids has collected toiletries for school children, road clean-ups, and food drives.
Larkin Mainwaring is also on the group’s advisory board.
“I wanted to join not only to help out in the community but also to meet other teenagers who are passionate about giving back to others," said Mainwaring.
Michelle Patel founded Kids Helping Kids because she didn’t see enough ways for younger kids to volunteer with their parents.
“So we just started a little activity where we were going to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless. We decided to invite some friends, and we shared it on the internet, and it kinda snowballed from there. And here we are six years later," said Patel.
Kids Helping Kids is a small group, but ready to grow.
They are looking for more members and more ways to help.
“I know a lot of kids think they can’t make a difference, but we’ve got a whole group of kids here making a difference, and I love being a part of that," said Mainwaring.
For more information, visit their website.
