Tampa boy celebrates 11th birthday by hosting school food drive

TAMPA, Fla. - When Christopher Bowling turned 11, instead of asking for presents, he decided to sponsor a food drive at Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary School in Tampa.

"I thought that it would better to just help people in need instead of gifts for myself," Bowling explained.  

Where did he get the idea? 

"My mother, my mother and I just went with it," he said. 

Bowling's family is not surprised by his gesture. 

"Christopher is such a loving and kind young man, he's always trying to extend his manners to someone to see what he can do to help," Deborah Williams, Bowling's grandmother said. "Can I get that for you? Can I do this for you? How are your feelings always concerned about someone else?"   

Teachers at the school know his donations will be put to good use. 

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"We are super excited that Christopher is donating some of these non-perishable items to our school," Alexandra Quintye, magnet lead teacher said. "We're so thrilled that he has chosen to give back to our Dunbar community and we hope to give it to some of our most needy families." 

Bowling is glad to be helping those families. 

"Makes me feel good because there's a lot of stuff more than I thought would be the outcome," he shared.  

Bowling plans to celebrate his 12th birthday the same way and hopes to get even more items.