Meet the 9-year-old boy from the Mon Valley who has made it his mission to feed those in need
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A young kid from the Mon Valley noticed the homeless crisis in Allegheny County and decided to meet it head-on.
Now he has made it his mission and his ministry to serve meals to people in need. At every bit of 9 years old, David Pennybaker, the creator of David's Heart, has set some tall expectations for himself.
"I heard that scripture about Jesus using that boy's lunch to feed 5,000 people and I was like that's what I'm going to do," Pennybaker said.
His goal to feed 5,000 people started as a personal achievement for the new year. The idea came to him after seeing the homeless crisis in Downtown Pittsburgh with his parents.
"We'll always pass a bunch of homeless people with signs, and it can be sad sometimes," Pennybaker told KDKA-TV.
Kara Pennybaker, the boy's mother, told KDKA-TV, "If he sees somebody crying, he's going to figure out what's going on. If somebody's sad, he's going to help them. If somebody's hungry, he's going to ask to stop the car."
With a busy academic schedule in the fifth grade at Woodland Hills, the boy's project, aptly called David's Heart, happens twice a month at various locations in the city.
The meals come from volunteer chefs, churches and sometimes the Pennybaker's family kitchen.
"It's usually full meals like rice and chicken, lasagna, hot dogs," David Pennybaker said.
Right now, the 9-year-old is hoping to bring on more volunteer chefs to prepare hot and cold meals as well as helpers to hand out food.
So far, David's Heart has served more than 500 meals. David's Heart hopes to reach that 5,000 mark by the end of this year.
If you want to help them do that you can reach out on the David's Heart Facebook page.