A 10-year-old boy has been growing pumpkins on his grandfather’s acreage to help Saskatoon families in crisis.
Eli Kearly sold about $2,300 worth of pumpkins in October. He donated all the profits to the city’s Crisis Nursery.
"He turned out to be a real super salesman. He could go out and drag people in and talk people in to it,” Everett Kearly, Eli’s grandfather, said.
Eli said he was inspired to help the Saskatoon Crisis Nursery after seeing a video his mom showed him.
“I realized a lot of kids are not as fortunate as I was,” Eli said.
Eli’s pumpkin donation caught the eye of Tim Hortons.
The coffee giant donated $10,000 to the Crisis Nursery and wrote Eli a $5,000 pay cheque – but Eli decided to donate his pay, too.
“I decided every penny needs to go to the Saskatoon Crisis Nursery because that's the reason I started this. I couldn't have done it without a lot of people helping me," Eli said.
Dionne Miazdyck-Shield, the executive director of the Saskatoon Crisis Centre, said Eli’s donation helps the organization stay afloat.
“His own fundraiser, even that makes a big difference for our bottom line. It really helps keep our doors open,” Miazdyck-Shield said, adding that the organization relies on community fundraising for about 30 per cent of its budget.
