ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Paris Williams, a nine-year-old humanitarian from the Paris Cares Foundation, has served over 10,000 people in need with her personalized "brown paper bag" care packages.
Williams first became inspired to create this foundation after she heard a story when she was in first grade. The book is titled "One Boy's Magic" by Cari Chadwick Deal, and is about a boy who was magical, handing out brown paper bags to the unhoused community.
Williams said she loved this idea and decided she wanted to do something like that, but make it her own. She does just that by personally decorating each of these brown paper bag "packages" with inspirational messages and her own artwork.
"I like to draw, like, smiley faces and encouraging messages on them," Williams said. "So whoever gets them can have an ecouraging message to hold onto."
The Paris Cares Foundation provides three options for care packages: the Paris Cares Bag, the Paris Cares Birthday Box, and the Paris Cares Box - all inlcuded with everyday essentials needed. The foundation also accepts donations - like the 300 Bombas socks, 300 toothbrushes and more than 300 meals they just received to pass out.
Alicia Suber, Williams' mother, said her daughter came to her after being inspired by that book and started working right away to get this project off the ground.
"She really had a plan," Suber said. "She executed it and she comes up with new ideas to, kind of, keep us going and to keep the community going rallying around her. So, I'm so proud of her."
Williams said she feels like she inspired many people with her work.
"It makes me feel just really happy to know that I am helping someone and one day I might be able to change the world," Williams said. "It just makes me really happy to know that I helped care for someone else."
To support or find more information about The Paris Cares Foundation, go to @pariscaresfoundation on Instagram.
