Seven-year-old donates birthday presents to homeless

BATESVILLE, Ark. (KAIT) - Most seven-year-olds wish for a new bike or that brand-new toy that just hit the shelf when thinking of gifts for their birthday, but a kid from Cave City had a different wish.

Henry Lockhart turned seven on Nov. 7, but for the last two years, he hasn’t wanted to receive any gifts from friends and family but rather give them to people who may need them more.

Last year, Henry collected Lego sets for a children’s hospital and was able to donate multiple building sets.

“I was getting Legos for the children that are in St. Jude’s Hospital for the sick children,” Henry said.

Henry’s mom explained giving instead of receiving was a learning opportunity for her son.

“I thought that we could make much better use of those gifts instead of him getting more and more, and I wanted to teach him about giving back,” Henry’s Mom, Katie, said.

This year, Henry is donating to a cause here in Northeast Arkansas.

“Giving people some things that they might need,” Henry said.

Henry and his mom decided to donate gifts to a homeless assistance group in Batesville.

“When I made that suggestion to Henry, because we talked about what that meant and what that organization did, and he was totally on board with that,” Katie explained.

Our Father’s Table has been helping the homeless in Batesville for multiple years.

The non-profit offers meals to the homeless every week and gives out items like clothing, sleeping bags, and more.

“Basically, we just want to try and keep people fed, warm, and loved. And let them know that they are loved and that people care about them,” Our Father’s Table Director Autumn Raviscioni said.

The director said when Henry and his mother approached the organization with their idea, they had no idea what they were about to receive.

“We just started adding things to a wish list, and we started getting presents by the pile full,” Raviscioni explained.

Raviscioni explained the homeless population is something continuously growing in Batesville, and assistance is highly needed.

“We just started keeping track of people we help at the beginning of the year, and we’re up to about 37, and that’s just on the west side of town,” she added.

An Amazon Wishlist for Our Father’s Table is still active for those wishing to donate.

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