7-Year-Old Finds Lotto Ticket And Uses Money On Homeless Food Drive

More than 46 million Americans rely on local aid programs for food. A study by the Missouri Food Bank Association (MFBA) shows that nearly 1.2 million of those live in Missouri. Scott Baker, the state director for the MFBA, has said that, “More and more people are relying upon emergency food programs just to make it through the month. As a result, this has put a tremendous strain on resources. Some food pantries have to turn people away because there isn’t enough food."


One school in Independence has been working hard to bring that number down. Sycamore Hills Elementary School recently collected over 1,700 cans of food and other items to donate.

A lot of that had to do with this little girl.

SHARE this article on Facebook. What an incredible girl!

Meet Phoebe Brown.

Phoebe is a seven-year-old second grader at Sycamore Hills Elementary School in Independence, Missouri.

On November 9th, Phoebe was shopping with her mother, Audrey.

They were at the Hy-Vee when Phoebe spotted a lottery scratch ticket on the ground. Phoebe picks up old lottery tickets often, so her parents didn't think anything of it.

They were already down the street at a gas station when Phoebe realized it was a winner.

The numbers had already been scratched off, so when Phoebe examined the ticket she was able to tell. "She's like, 'Mom, Mom, it's a winner!' I said, 'No it's not’," Audrey said.

"It was. It was a $100 winner."

Audrey continued, "Everything went through my mind. What could we do with it? What could Phoebe do with it?" But Phoebe already knew what she wanted to do.

She decided to use her good fortune to help those less fortunate.

Phoebe's school has been busy collecting canned goods to give to those in need within the Independence School District. "She said, ‘Mom, Mom, can we do that?’" Audrey said, "and I was like, ‘yeah.’" So the family headed to Walmart where they used the ticket winnings to buy canned food — then Phoebe's father, Josh, matched everything that Phoebe bought.

The Brown family knows what their donation means to a family that needs it. 

"There have been times where I’ve been out of work, and we had nowhere to stay and our family’s taken us in, and helped us out," Josh told interviewers. "We’re thankful for our friends and our family."

It means something pretty special for Phoebe's class as well.

Mr. Horseman, Phoebe's second-grade teacher, promised the class that they could shave off his beard if they reached their donation goal: because of Phoebe, they did.

"You're welcome and I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving," Phoebe said.

Pheobe's generosity made the news!

Check out the little girl who's made a big difference to a lot of families this Thanksgiving.