They say persistence pays off – and 11-year-old twins Luke and Jett Justin are a testament to that.
For three years, the Boca Raton residents petitioned General Mills to donate cereal to their nonprofit, the Boca Raton Cereal Drive Alliance, benefiting Boca Helping Hands. The company was so impressed with the twins that it decided to surprise them by contributing more than 2,500 boxes of cereal to this year’s drive in March. Luke and Jett, then fifth graders at Calusa Elementary School, had already collected nearly 2,800 boxes.
On the day of the big reveal, onlookers gathered at Boca Helping Hands under the guise of a photo shoot, including the boys’ parents, Lukana and Eric; Boca Helping Hands staff; a General Mills executive; other parents; educators; and 20 classmates. After an informal ceremony, a truck hiding the contribution was driven away – revealing the cereal stockpile.
“I was shocked and amazed when I saw all of the pallets of cereal,” Luke says.
Jett adds: “It was an incredible feeling. We were thankful so many more families would receive cereal.”
Their philanthropy started at age 8 when they asked their parents if they could volunteer at Boca Helping Hands, whose services include feeding those in need. While packing grocery bags, the boys noticed a lack of cereal.
“We like cereal for breakfast,” Luke says. “Cereal gives happiness and instant joy. We wanted all kids to have cereal in the morning.”
The twins spread the word about their drive by contacting their principal, teachers and other local school principals. They partnered with local nonprofit Kindness Matters and Calusa’s student government in addition to making announcements at school. Thanks to these efforts, the drive has grown significantly.
This fall, the brothers will be sixth graders at Don Estridge High Tech Middle School and will continue to volunteer. They created Cereal4All.org to promote their nonprofit, hoping it will grow into a national organization.
“When you donate food or volunteer your time, you’re changing somebody’s life for the better and maybe even changing the world for the better in a way you can’t imagine,” Jett says.
Luke adds: “I plan on volunteering forever because there’s no better feeling than knowing you made a positive difference in another person’s life.” O