Caleb Powelson, 12, Wellsville, started the Bushels of Love Foundation charity.
Caleb Powelson is a 12-year-old kid from Wellsville who plays flag football and likes jumping on the trampoline in his big backyard.
What makes him above average is one idea: to start his own charity.
One Sunday in church, he grabbed a pamphlet to sponsor a child in Africa. This got him thinking about what he could do to help needy families. His mother and stepfather told him it would take a long time to raise money and his mind went another direction.
"I thought about how my dad was a farmer and he brought bushels of grain into the elevator," Caleb said. His mother, Melissa, came up with the name Bushels of Love Foundation and the charity was born.
"I'm hoping for a lot of farmers out there to give a bushel of grain to our charity," he said.
At first, his parents were a bit skeptical.
His dad, Royce, who farms corn, soybeans, hay and wheat, was worried about a 12-year-old boy taking on such a project, but he hopes that other groups will take the idea and run with it.
"It doesn't just have to be about Caleb Powelson," he said. "It can be about a good idea that's shared to communities."
Melissa said she even tried to stop Caleb from moving forward.
"Thank goodness he kept pushing me," she said with a laugh.
And Caleb made it easy for farmers to donate.
"All you do is just take it to the nearest co-op or elevator and if they have the Bushels of Love Foundation setup, you can donate to that," he said.
Melissa has been working to set up accounts with local elevators and has 19 places ready to take bushels for the foundation.
Plus, Royce says one bushel is a small price to pay for those in need.
"It'd be very minimal," he said. "I think the average around here is 30 bushel beans and 125 bushel corn per acre, so it'd just be less than 1 percent of an acre."
Caleb just hopes that when harvest comes around, farmers are able to give a bushel to his charity.
"If you donate a bushel to our foundation, think how many children you can save," he said.
For more information, e-mail the foundation at bushelsoflove@yahoo.com.
Comments
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mommy24 (anonymous) says…
Wow! That's great Caleb! I always love hearing someone doing something good for someone else (no matter where they are located). I am so proud of you (and your parents for supporting and encouraging you)! God Bless your charity!
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
Marion,First the butterflies, now a charitable youth... I'm really beginning to think you're losing your fovea. Homage(s) to Wellsville by an obscure, mid-western garage band,a quarter of a century removed...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWm6-htMu4U[ timewarp ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8XRpq3tcRM
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
"If you donate a bushel to our foundation, think how many children youcan save," he said. Think globally. Act globally.
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
[ sigh ]
sundivail (anonymous) says…
Many times children don't realize where their charity events proceeds are going to and the adults involved don't believe anything will come of the childs efforts. Maybe this charity can be used within our country too. Hopefully Caleb and his family will look into this.
geekin_topekan (anonymous) says…
OK,who are you, and what have you done with Marion?
asimpleman (anonymous) says…
Caleb, thank you for having a sensitive heart that can see and respond to the needs around you. People like Marion want you to know that we have people with desperate needs right here within our own community. We do. However, you should not be ashamed of seeing need elsewhere as well. Keep up the good work.
hilary (anonymous) says…
Marion,Why not leave this be, and let the 12 year old boy's story not be tainted with your ugliness? He's doing something. You're spewing hate on the internet. Caleb sounds like a winner to me.
hilary (anonymous) says…
...and I think he IS helping children in America. The idea started with him perusing a pamphlet at Church about a kid in Africa, which prompted him to turn his attention everywhere. It is not clear in article whether or not he's supporting African kids or American kids.
xbusguy (chris Ogle) says…
Way to go, Caleb.......You are an American..we have freedom of choice.
Ragingbear (anonymous) says…
You know things are bad when Africa starts sending us food....I figure that is about 6 months away.
lacoov (anonymous) says…
Goodness Marion like my grandma use to say "You'd gripe if you were hung with a new rope".
wysiwyg69 (anonymous) says…
Right on Marion, and the same goes for the hollywood adoptions, you know, there are no children in our own country available to adopt! lets get us one of those little africans.
ckennedy (christy kennedy) says…
Unless I missed something, the article didn't say anything about where/how donated beans, corn, etc. would be distributed. With high transportation costs it would make sense for it to be a local operation and it sounds like they are hoping the idea will to spread to other communities. The article should have better explained how this will work. But it would also be a good idea to actually find out more about it instead of complaining/bickering about a nice boy's good efforts just because of a lack of information.
ckennedy (christy kennedy) says…
Okay, so I did miss something. I just now followed the link and read how elevators where donations are stored will write a check for the total amount donated and will send it to charity . . . but I'm still not clear on where.Either way, it's a good thing to get started.
Boston_Corbett (anonymous) says…
Marion reminds me of my dog. In the morning he likes to go around the neighborhood and pee on trees to mark his territory and pick fights with the neighborhood cats.Marion likes to run around on this forum and criticize people with good intentions and good works, and picks up his hind leg and accuses others to be filled with "hate."Takes a "hater" to throw the "hate" bomb around so much, I say.
blakus (anonymous) says…
Where the heck in the article does it specifically state that this charity is soley for kids in Africa. Marion drew this connection based on the kid's inspiration to start the charity. Great job Caleb and don't let your imagination or passion to help others be stifled by grumpy, angry people.