Virginia Beach, Va. - At Mariah Smith's Virginia Beach home, it's been a steady drop off of goodies for this young crusader for the homeless.
Helping the homeless is nothing new for Mariah. We've seen her with her mom, hitting the streets handing out blankets and food for those in need.
Her latest mission, holiday stockings for the homeless, were stockings packed with essential items.
Ricki Wright dropped off 10 stockings which included socks, gloves, Christmas cards, toothpaste and tooth brushes.
Ashley McGrath brought 20 stockings. "This has everything we could think of sunscreen, different lotions, tissues, mints, cough drops, medicine, band-aids."
Some were motivated to take action because of Mariah's story, which NewsChannel 3 has shared over the years including the first time Mariah made news. She was abandoned as a baby on the steps of a Norfolk hospital more than 20 years ago.
She was since adopted. At the age of 17, she launched a crusade to help the homeless and many are eager to help.
From various individuals to businesses like, Town Center's Royal Chocolate, dropped off stockings to Regent University where Mariah is now a student.
Her school is taking action for her charity, Blankets For the Homeless.
Sara Baron with Regent University felt it was important to drop off 30 stockings.
"The Bible tells us to serve the least of these, to feed the hungry, clothe the homeless and give blankets to those who are cold, and so Mariah just lives that spirit in everything she does and we love being able to help her do that," says Baron.
So does NewsChannel 3 and our community partner Southern Bank, which is why we presented Mariah with a $300 Visa gift card."
And while we were there, even more donations poured in. Rene Wampler donated $1,000.00 to Mariah's charity.
"And a lot of people think I can't make a difference, well guess what, one person can and that one person can cause huge ripples and affect a lot of people," says Wampler.
And without a doubt, that's what Mariah is doing.
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People Taking Action: Virginia Beach Free Will Baptist Church
People Taking Action Award: Virginia Beach Free Will Baptist Church
