'Thoughtful' 8-year-old boy is praised after using his pocket money to buy food for Hemel Community Foodbank

A schoolboy from Hemel Hempstead has been praised by staff at Dunelm after donating to the store's collection point for the Community Foodbank.

Dunelm, in Hemel Hempstead, collects donations for the Community Foodbank which serves Kings Langley, Apsley and Bennetts End.

Roseanna Ginger, from Dunelm in Apsley, wanted to highlight the actions of an eight-year-old boy who made the donation last night (Wednesday, May 12).

She said: "This evening a young eight-year-old lad called Ethan Bennett came in with his mum to drop some food off.

"His mum, Michelle Badger, said he has been saving money for a keyboard and had some left over and wanted to buy food for the foodbanks, so brought it into us at work in Dunelm for our collection, we thought this was so very thoughtful of the young boy."

Michelle Badger, Ethan's mum, said: "He has been saving his Christmas money and his chore money to buy a key board. We like to encourage them to work hard for what they want.

"He had saved up enough so yesterday we went to buy a keyboard and he had some money left over so I asked him what did he want to do with it, we could go to a toy shop and he could buy something else or he could give it to his brother.

"He said he wanted to do something kind for somebody else, and mentioned helping the homeless, but we were unable to do that because of the coronavirus restrictions.

"He has always been like that, and in the past - before the restrictions - he has bought hot food and drinks and given it to people who are sitting on the streets.

"I think it's important to teach him that not everyone has what you have and he appreciates that and is always looking to help others.

"I mentioned the community foodbank to him and we looked at the list of what they needed, and said we could do it at the weekend. But he asked if we could do it straight away.

"So we went to Sainsbury's and he bought some things off the list, he wanted to buy one of everything, and then we went to Dunelm to donate it.

"His school - Jupiter Community Free School - is great and he learns about seven key values there, and I think that is also where a lot of his respect and kindness to others coming from."