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26 February 2018

By Laura Egan

At Christmas time, mailboxes are often filled with myriad calls for donations, most of them destined straight for the recycle bin.

When a letter from Foodbank Victoria arrived at the Chapman household, it was saved from this very fate by 10-year-old Luigi, who decided to open it and read its content.

It told the story of a family that had just one thing to eat every night for the entire week: bolognese sauce from the jar.

‘I didn’t like it, so I decided to do something about it and I asked mum if we could think of some ideas of how I could help them,’ Luigi said.

‘She said I could earn 50 cents [for each] chore around the house and I could ask for some birthday money and do some busking [playing the guitar].’

After a few months of hard work, Luigi managed to raise $324, all of which he generously donated to Foodbank Victoria, an organisation which provides food for struggling families.

A few weeks later, Luigi received a phone call from the organisation, and was invited on a tour of its warehouse.

‘I found it really interesting to see what my money was going towards,’ he said.

While Luigi dreams of one day becoming a doctor or an author, the St Thomas the Apostle School, Greensborough, student has his sights set on making a more immediate impact, and is hoping to raise even more money for Foodbank Victoria this year.

I found it really interesting to see what my money was going towards

Though Luigi admits he’s only ever been to bed on an empty stomach when he was naughty, his compassion and empathy for those who face this reality on a regular basis is admirable.

And with 3.6 million Australians having experienced food insecurity in the last 12 months, it seems this little boy is making a big difference.

This article was originally published in Il Globo on 22 February 2018.