Ender Lin combined a love of cereal and a desire to help his neighbors to secure a massive food donation that will feed thousands of families in the Pittsburgh region.
Ender, 13, of Squirrel Hill, penned a letter to Kellogg, telling the company about “all the amazing things” done by a local food bank and seeking donations.
“You can always ask,” Ender said Monday. “You never know what might happen.”
What happened was a 20,000-pound donation of cereal and granola for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor in his first proclamation since being sworn in last month declared Monday Ender Lin Day.
“You did a good job in helping,” O’Connor told Ender during a ceremony in the mayor’s office Monday. “Thank you for taking the initiative and helping thousands of people.”
The cereal and granola will be shared with partners across the food bank’s network, including Jewish Family and Community Services. which Ender had been hoping to help.
Stacy Flathau, Kellogg’s chief corporate affairs officer, said Ender’s request was “taken to heart.”
“He spoke up about a real need in his community, and that simple act truly made a difference,” Flathau said in a statement.
Kellogg worked with Feeding America to deliver about 20,000 pounds of food to the food bank last month.
That amounts to 18,627 boxes and bags of cereal, Christa Johnson, a food bank spokeswoman, said.
The donation consisted of an array of Kellogg’s cereals, mostly Glazed Donut Holes and Froot Loops cereals and toasted almond or regular granola.
Johnson said the donation was “especially thoughtful,” because all the cereals are kosher — a product in high demand at the Jewish Family and Community Services food pantry.
“Ender’s contribution is incredible and a testament to what one person can accomplish,” Jesse Sharrard, the food pantry’s director, said.
“At the same time as we are giving out the cereal from this donation, we are seeing more people who need food. Our pantry alone provides local families with over 30,000 pounds of food per month. I hope that Ender’s gift can serve as an inspiration to others to help within their neighborhood, however they can, so that no one has to go without food.”
Ender said he knew cereal was shelf stable and popular, making it a good option to seek out.
“We were in shock at the size of the donation,” Johnson said, adding the food bank’s team was “moved and delighted” by Ender’s effort.
Ender and O’Connor bonded over a shared love of Frosted Flakes — though the teen also has a taste for Special K — before the mayor signed the proclamation.
Stephen O’Brion, a representative from the food bank who attended Monday’s ceremony, said demand for food has been increasing. There was a significant spike, he said, when SNAP benefits were paused during the government shutdown last year.
Ender, a student at Community Day School, previously donated spices to the local food bank for his bar mitzvah project.
“He’s just very sweet,” his mother Claire Topal said. “He listens when I get sad about challenges our neighbors face, and he’s willing to entertain, ‘Maybe I can change something.’”
The mayor asked Ender what his next project would be.
“I don’t know yet,” he replied.