Norfolk, Va. - Meet 8-year-old Leo Bynoe, who's been pretty busy this summer.
"Well I made a lemonade stand and the money that we raised, we were going to give it to the Foodbank."
So how did this Chesapeake youngster come up with the idea?
"Umm... I love lemonade," he said.
Leo's must be pretty good, his lemonade stand was busy, according to his mother, Crystal Humphrey, "And I really have to say the community, family friends, our church family, my work family... they really came out to support him."
And Leo wants credit for the entire amount as I found out when I told him I understood he raised $775, to which he responded, "Yes.....and 15 cents."
Plus his family's church, The Mount at Chesapeake, chipped in an additional $500.
So why was it important for Leo to spend part of his summer doing this? "To help people." And Leo helps out in other ways, he is a monthly volunteer at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore with his mom.
"Well we put food and drinks into a plastic bag and then pass it on to other people and they put some more stuff in it," he said.
He's helping out with the Foodbank's school backpack program—-meals bagged up and sent home to kids in need.
His father, Leslie Bynoe II, says this is just who Leo is.
"He always wants to help others, so him volunteering and selling lemonade and donating the money is nothing new to me. I am not surprised that Leo did that at all," his dad said.
He's very proud of him and so too is the CEO of the Foodbank, Christopher Tan, "But there's always a place for you to make a difference and all you have to do is step out like Leo did and say I want to give it a try. I think it's definitely an apropos time for Leo to be doing this. You know families that never thought they'd be coming to the Foodbank for food are coming: inflation, gas prices, the economy—- all of that affects people in ways we don't even know about."
So for Leo is doing, News 3 presented him with an Everyday Hero award, along with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank. And Leo's already making plans for another lemonade stand—this time his goal: $1,000.
If you'd like to support the Foodbank, click here.
