MARION — Sippican Elementary School student Davin Alves was leaving a grocery store one day with his mother Kathy when he saw someone on the street asking for money.

The moment stuck with Alves. He woke up the next day and said “there must be something we can do” to Kathy Alves.

Three years later, Alves has raised around $9,000 that has all gone towards food for those in need.

Davin’s food drive started in the Holiday Season of 2022. Kathy Alves said it started as reaching out to friends and family and sharing a Facebook post. Around $900 was raised.

After seeing that it was possible to raise a significant amount of money, Davin and Kathy decided to try and grow the drive each year.

And grown it has. This holiday season, donations to the drive totalled $5,580.

The Alves family reached out to local businesses seeking donations of items that could be raffled off. People in the community bought raffle tickets and proceeds from those tickets were used to buy food to be donated to local food banks like Damien’s Pantry.

“It makes me feel really good, the fact that people are getting fed,” said Davin Alves.

According to Kathy Alves, the look on people’s faces when they drop off loads of food is what makes Davin want to keep pushing.

“He’s got a heart of gold,” said Kathy Alves. “We’ll keep doing whatever we need to do to help him do this.”

Davin plans to keep the food drive going in future years.

Some of Davin’s teachers at Sippican Elementary School have donated to the drive. Kathy Alves said posters were also made this year to help spread the word of Davin’s drive.

“Proud is an understatement,” said Kathy Alves. “I tell him all the time; look at how many people you have touched with one little thought, one little gesture,”

Kathy Alves said that the success of Davin’s food drive would not be possible without the Marion community. 

“It’s amazing how much the community will come together when it wants to help,” she said.