RICHMOND, Va. — A 16-year-old who has dedicated 14 years to fighting hunger in his community received a special surprise as part of the CBS 6 Month of Giving for his extraordinary service to Feed More.
Austin Smoyer was celebrated at the nonprofit organization where he has collected nearly 10 tons of food since starting his mission at just 3 years old. The surprise recognition included 164 pounds of additional food donations to add to his collection total and a $100 gift card.
"Just a lot of gratefulness. I'm just like really grateful like overall for the people who help out with it and it's just like it's awesome to see like all the food behind me. I'm like it's gonna go to someone who needs it," Smoyer said.
The teenager has completed his 14th year of food collection, gathering over one ton of donations this year alone. His sister is preparing to continue the family tradition when Smoyer moves on.
"She's challenging me. She's like, 'I'm gonna make it bigger than you,' and I was like, 'Oh, I don't know about that. It's pretty big,' But I just love the fact that she wants to take it over," Smoyer said.
The CBS 6 Month of Giving made possible by Virginia Credit Union is underway. Watch for a new surprise every day in December on CBS 6 News. Have an idea about who we should surprise next, click here to email our team.
