RICHMOND, Va. β For 14 years, 16-year-old Austin Smoyer has maintained the consistency of Santa Claus with his annual holiday food drive, but instead of a sleigh and reindeer, the Chesterfield teen rolls up with cars full of donations for Feed More.
"The driving factor behind it is just, like, just knowing I can give back to the community," Smoyer said.
Since he was 3-years-old, Smoyer has held an annual holiday food drive for Feed More.
He started with just a red wagon and has worked his way up to multiple carloads, garnering national attention along the way β including an appearance on the Rachael Ray show.
"The more people I get involved in it, the better it is at the end of the day," he said.
This year, Smoyer collected 2,023 pounds of food, which is 17 pounds more than last year. To date, he has donated around 20,000 pounds.
"I'm just happy and grateful I can give back and know that I'm making a change in people's lives. But I love hearing the numbers," he said.
For Feed More, which has a picture of Smoyer's early efforts hanging in its offices, reliable donations like this are always welcome.
Demand is up 14% compared to last year, with an 11% spike during the government shutdown.
"We're seeing the price at the grocery stores go up. Neighbors are in need of groceries. Maybe, you know, they might have an unexpected expense, like a car trouble, unexpected medical bill puts in a tough position," Feed More Public Relations Coordinator Rodriga Arriaza said. "While [the shutdown] might be over, the kind of road to recovery for our neighbors is much longer. The need is still here in our community. And so, again, efforts like this, that Austin has done, I really make a big difference for us."
While Smoyer is giving back, he wants to inspire others to do the same.
The 11th-grader might only be in the area for one more food drive and has shared his experiences with younger students.
"I love doing this so much, and I think if I just can get the idea of it that it's fun in their head, they'll really want to go do it," he said.
Smoyer might not have to look far for someone to keep the red wagon rolling. He said his little sister is more than ready to take over.
"She's had a passion about it since she could understand what's going on. She's like, 'When you leave, I'm taking over it. I promise,'" he said. "I was like, 'Hey, I love it.' I just love knowing that I can push that in a way for her, to just...strive to do it."
With at least one more year to go, Smoyer has every intent to finish strong.
"I'm going to try to aim big," he said. "I still got to figure out a goal for next year, but it'll be big."
Feed More accepts help in three ways: food donations like Smoyer's, volunteer time, and monetary donations. The nonprofit has a donation matching program running until the end of the year.
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