Lewisville ISD Middle Schooler Raises $10,000 for NTFB Peanut Butter Drive

For her 12^日 birthday, Ariya Daniels wanted to make a difference for her neighbors facing hunger.

By Raj Daniels

What were you doing when you turned 12?

I can tell you that I probably wasn’t thinking much about others. Fortunately, we have youngsters, like my daughter Ariya Daniels, who are already thinking beyond themselves.

For her 12th birthday, Ariya committed to raising $10,000 for the North Texas Food Bank—and she surpassed that goal. Her inspiration? Her older sisters.

“As the youngest and last of the three, I wanted to show what I could do … with my friends and my family supporting me, I raised $10,000,” Ariya said.

The legacy of giving to the NFTB started with Ariya’s oldest sister, Reyna, who learned about hunger in her area and about HungerMitao, the NTFB’s Indian American affinity group that I am involved in. Reyna set a goal of raising $2,500 for her birthday in 2020, which she met and surpassed. She also continues to be involved in fighting hunger as a member of the NTFB’s 青年倡导者委员会.

Not to be outdone, Ashna, the middle sister, doubled that amount and raised $5,000 for her birthday in 2022.

In the spirit of friendly competition, Ariya, the youngest and last in the line of three sisters, set a goal in May of doubling Ashna’s total by raising $10,000 by her 12^日 birthday in August.

How did she do it?

Ariya and Ashna worked together to write short video scripts. With Ashna behind the iPhone camera, directing while Ariya acted, they created short videos to share the message of Ariya’s fundraising campaign. The videos were then shared within our family’s network and beyond. Ariya also placed a peanut butter donation box with QR codes for monetary donations at the Castle Hills taekwondo school where she practices.

And, with the help of the community, she hit her goal!

“I feel like I really learned how the small steps can make a big change,” Ariya said, speaking to the CarrolltonLeader. “It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, you can make a difference.” She was also recognized during a Here’s to You salute on Fox 4.

We at HungerMitao want to congratulate Ariya on her accomplishment. And if there is a student in your family who wants to make an impact on hunger in North Texas, we would love to have them join our movement.

The over $10,000 raised by Ariya is going toward the NTFB’s annual Peanut Butter Drive, which raises funds and nut butters for distribution through NTFB’s Food 4 Kids backpack program and its network of nearly 500 partner food pantries and community organizations.

Sab ko batao – 饥饿米桃