Nine-Year-Old Dunedin Student Starts Donation Drive For Families In Need

DUNEDIN, Fla. (CW44 News At 10) - "I like to be outside and just be crazy, dance, paint," explained nine-year-old Iliana Gorshe in the community garden at the Dunedin Public Library. Like most nine-year-olds, she finds joy in the small things. "This butterfly here, that's the one I painted," she pointed out.

But what separates her is her enthusiasm for a greater cause. So, she single-handedly started a donation drive for her community.

"For school, we had to choose something to do," said Gorshe. "If they're struggling paying for medical bills or bills to live in, like, a house or sometime, Dunedin Cares can just give them food, so they don't have to worry about paying for everything. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I feel like cereal is just like a classic thing to eat for breakfast."

And her love for helping others grew much faster than she anticipated.

"I was expecting 80 [boxes] because I didn't think a lot of people were going to, like, give me cereal. But I turned out with a lot more cereal than I thought I would. Last year, I got… 1,126?"

And with just the incentive of knowing she's helped, thousands of canned goods and bagged groceries have made their way into the homes of those in her community.

"You have to set a goal, you have to figure out when you're going to start it, when you're going to stop it. Even if they don't ask for it, sometimes its good to do stuff for people who need it."

If you'd like to donate, you can do so at the Dunedin Public Library.