A father in Pittsburgh and his two young sons have created something special in their front yard. AJ Owen and his boys, who are 7 and 9 years old, set up a food pantry in Whitehall to help people in their neighborhood who need food.
They started the project on Sunday, October 26, with basic supplies from their garage. Owen told People they used one storage box and two small coolers they already had at home. They cleaned everything out, added some Christmas lights, and put it all outside. “You don’t need a permanent building to get something to go, just a tote and two coolers, and look where it can get you,” Owen said.
Then something amazing happened that nobody expected. Owen found an envelope in his mailbox filled with cash and a note. The note said, “May God prosper and bless your food pantry.” When Owen opened the envelope, he found it was packed with hundred-dollar bills. “I opened it up and just hundred-dollar bills, a stack of hundred-dollar bills. I truly didn’t know how to react. I froze. I started shaking and I started crying,” he explained.
One family’s small idea turned into something much bigger than they imagined
Owen got the idea for the pantry after talking with his sons about possible changes to SNAP benefits, which help families buy food. He wanted his kids to know what was going on and how they could make a difference. “I told them about SNAP potentially going away, and they said, ‘How can we help people?’ And this was the answer,” Owen shared with the magazine.
After Owen posted a video on TikTok about the cash donation, people everywhere started watching and sharing it. The video got almost 18 million views and 4 million likes. Many people said the story made them want to start similar pantries where they live.
The Owen family now fills the pantry every day with different items that people need. They put out food that doesn’t go bad quickly, diapers, and baby formula.
People from the area and even strangers have brought donations, from meals they cooked at home to groceries from the store. A player from the Pittsburgh Steelers named Yahya Black even stopped by with donations from the football team. While this family spreads kindness in their community, other stories show how major companies track customer behavior in surprising ways.
Owen said his younger son was worried at first and asked, “Dad, what if nobody comes?” Owen told him, “Buddy, if we help one person, then this was all worth it.” But they ended up helping many more people than just one.
The family wants to keep the pantry going for as long as people need it. Owen believes everyone should have access to food. He thinks of it like having someone over for a meal at his house and letting them take what they need.
The pantry keeps getting bigger and better every day, showing how much good can come from one simple idea. At a time when ordinary people face unexpected legal battles with big corporations, stories like this one remind everyone that helping each other still matters.
Published: Nov 6, 2025 05:30 pm