Every Sunday since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, 8-year-old Eagle Jayagoda sets up a table on 34th Street between Barrett and Roosevelt Avenues in Richmond.
A sign on the table reads, “take what you need.” It’s stocked with various food items for people facing hard times.
“We have canned food, spaghetti, rice and beans,” Eagle told KCBS Radio.
His mom Achala Jayagoda said the idea was inspired by the Little Free Libraries food pantry in town.
“Eagle came up with the idea saying ‘Mommy, we can put a table out’ so we started helping every weekend,” she explained.
The family first donated food from their own kitchen. The idea caught on and eventually people from the neighborhood started giving back.
“My family wanted to help during this difficult time,” Achala said.
Eagle added, “I started by doing a little table, but then I wanted to make it bigger and bigger!”
When asked about why he wanted to offer a free food table, the second grader at St. John’s Catholic School in San Francisco said it’s because everybody gets hungry.
“I feel very happy and excited about other people taking the food,” Eagle said.
Eagle’s Little Free Food Table is definitely serving a need. His mom said people are regularly taking the table’s food offerings. Soon, the family plans to replace the table with a portable pantry that can hold more food.
“Life is very uncertain and people work so hard. We really want to teach him at a young age how you can help people even if you don’t have much,” Achala said.
If you know someone who is working to keep us safe during the coronavirus pandemic and would like to nominate them as a KCBS Radio Difference Maker, email differencemakers@kcbsradio.com.