Tavares first grader raises money to buy lunches for classmates

Peyton McGee, 7, gave up purchasing toy to get results

TAVARES, Fla. – A Tavares elementary student turned down a toy to make sure hungry classmates have lunch.

Peyton McGee, 7, has been saving his money to buy a toy from Build-A-Bear.

"I had a little sale with all my stuff that I didn't want. I didn't want to throw it away, I wanted to sell it," Peyton McGee said.

But instead of keeping the cash he made, his mother says he surprised her.

"He said, 'Mom, I'm giving the money to the school,'" Peyton's mother Christy McGee said. "And I said, 'OK baby, do what you want with it.'"

Peyton made $20 from his yard sale and handed over the money to his principal at Tavares Elementary School on Thursday morning.

It may not seem like a lot, but it is a small donation coming from a young boy with a big heart.

"I hope he continues to want to make a difference in someone's lives as he gets older," Christy McGee said.

The Lake County School District offers students free and reduced lunches. It also provides meals to students in case they forget their lunch money. School officials say the donation will pay for 10 meals and go to those in need.

"I think Peyton's generosity sets an example all of us, young and older, to follow," said Sherri Owens with Lake County Schools.

It is a generous act that is getting results and teaching a lesson in compassion and kindness.

"I'm proud of him. He's a good kid. I couldn't ask for a better child," Christy McGee said.

Added Owens: "It's the type of thing where you would expect a child to think about his own needs, but Peyton thought about the needs of others before himself and that makes him a pretty special little boy."

Peyton  now says he wants to raise $100 for his school.
 
"If this grows bigger than what it is now, that would be great," Christy McGee said. "I would love to see next year that all of the other meals are paid for the kids."
 


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