Makenna Breading-Goodrich has taken on a special holiday project, for the last three years.
The determined 12-year-old goes door-to-door in her community, passing out flyers that call for spare jackets and blankets for the homeless. Then, two weeks later, she returns to each home to collect the donations, piling everything inside her red Radio Flyer wagon.
This past Christmas, Makenna delivered more than 1,000 coats, blankets and other winter gear to the Phoenix Rescue Mission, according to Today.com.
"It gets really cold around here at night, like 30 degrees," Makenna told People Magazine. "I want to make sure homeless people aren't walking around without jackets or blankets at night!"
Makenna started collecting coats for the homeless in 2013, after watching a TV special on homelessness during the winter months.
"I was watching the news with my parents when I saw a story on people living on the streets," she told The Huffington Post. "I wanted them to feel cared for. Everyone should feel cared for."
Feeling inspired, Makenna, who was 9 at the time, went to her laptop, created a donation flyer and emailed it to her parents.
"She said, 'I think I can really do something to help,'" Makenna's mother, Jennifer Breading-Goodrich, told Today.com. "Any parent would look at their 9-year-old daughter with pride and tell her they'd be thrilled to help her in any way."
In 2015, Makenna more than doubled the amount of items she collected the previous year.
"Most people say, 'I would do stuff like you do if I had more time'," Makenna told People.com. "But I make time for this because it's important to me. And if people truly cared, they would make time, too."
Her initiative has inspired a movement among her peers.
This past season, teammates on Makenna's softball team helped her collect donations and bring them to the shelter, Today.com reported. Another girl was so moved by Makenna's generosity, she began collecting Bibles for the same shelter.
"It is amazing thing to me to see the number of young people who are noticing the need and wanting to do something about it," Dianne Robinson, the community engagement manager for the Phoenix Rescue Mission, told Tucson News Now.
Makenna, who now calls her project Makenna's Coats for a Cause, simply believes she's following the Golden Rule.
"If I was out there, I would want someone to care for me," she told People.com. "Something small can make a difference. A little kindness can inspire others!"
Learn more about Makenna and her holiday mission in the video below.
Also on HuffPost:
