Local kid on a mission to help those in need this Christmas, and he’s asking for your help

6-year-old Tommy Clements of Idaho Falls is collecting food for people in need this Christmas. | Courtesy Stephen Clements
IDAHO FALLS – When most kids are busy thinking about what they want for Christmas, 6-year-old Tommy Clements is thinking about how he can help those in need.
Tommy decided to launch a food drive last week after hearing a radio ad about feeding the hungry.
“We were listening to the NFL radio channel on Sirius and they started talking about a food drive that they were doing,” Tommy’s dad Steven Clements tells EastIdahoNews.com. “(Tommy) didn’t understand what that meant and so he asked me if I could just go buy everybody food.”
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Video courtesy Morgan Peterson
Steven isn’t sure why his son was so curious about how to help people and neither is Tommy. But after visiting with neighbors, friends, and other businesses, Tommy wanted to host his own food drive.
“I wanted to do it, so that way, people who don’t have food can have a good Christmas dinner,” Tommy says.
Impressed with his son’s interest in helping others, Steven offered his support by collecting donations through his office at DC Electric.
Since last week, others have gotten involved as well. Cloverdale Elementary, where Tommy attends school, is taking donations from students. Donation bins are set up at multiple businesses in town, including Idaho Falls Pediatric Dentistry, Idaho Steel, and Grider & Peterson Realtors.
“He stood up in front of his class and talked to them about it and asked them if they could help. He sat down with all these businesses and told them what he was trying to do. He’s learning a lot about what it means to help people,” says Clements.
Tommy is asking you to make a donation to his food drive. You can drop off cans in the donation bins at any participating business through Friday. One final stretch is happening at Grider & Peterson’s office in Idaho Falls Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tommy and his dad will be there taking your donations.
“His goal is to feed 11,000 people,” Clements says. “We’re really just asking people to donate as much as they possibly can.”
Monetary donations are also accepted. Several businesses have already contributed more than $1,600. And more is on the way.
“We’ve got a can that we don’t know how much is in there,” says Stephen.
“The can is locked and we can’t open it because we don’t have a key,” Tommy says.
The can belongs to Community Food Basket. Over the last week, employees at DC Electric and Grider & Peterson have put money in there. The amount will be revealed during Saturday’s food drive. Every donation will be taken to Community Food Basket and distributed to homes throughout eastern Idaho.
“I couldn’t be prouder (of Tommy),” Stephen says. “He’s a great kid. It takes things like that from little people to make a big difference.”
Learn more about Tommy’s Holiday food drive by clicking here.