When I go to the grocery store with my parents, it is pretty ordinary and nothing unfamiliar happens. We just buy our normal things like bananas, oranges, and other things; sometimes if I am good, I get a treat like a cookie. However, when I shopped last weekend, I found something that was not on my shopping list…

After we finished shopping, we looked out at the sunny sky, but when I slightly turned my head to the left, I saw something unexpected. I saw a mother with two children, one girl who looked a bit older than me, and a boy who looked a little younger than me. They were sitting near the parking lot, and they looked very different from us. They had a sign, and it read, “PLEASE HELP. WE ARE STRUGGLING, ANYTHING HELPS. GOD BLESS YOU.” They looked very hungry. I know how grumpy I get when I don’t get a snack.

I looked down at the box of cookies in my hand and the bananas in my other. Then I stared back at those people and made a choice. I was going to give the food I bought to whoever actually needs it. I looked up at my mom one last time and went.

“Excuse me,” I said. The mother on the bench looked up, surprised. I held out the bunch of yellow bananas and the bag of cookies. “Would you like these?”

The mother, almost crying and said “Thank you so much!” Her eyes were soft. The children were excited about the food and also said, ”Thank you so much!”

As I walked back to my mom, I looked over my shoulder. I saw the mother break off who bananas, but instead of eating them herself, she gave the biggest ones to her two kids first. Even though she looked hungry too, she made sure they were okay before she took a bite. 

On the car ride home, I realized that not every family is as lucky as ours. They might not have sufficient money or just might be struggling in life. That day, I learned that kindness is the most important thing you can do. It is not just about being polite. It is about noticing when someone else is hurting or hungry and doing something about it. It felt really good to help them, even just a little bit. From now on, I am going to be on the lookout for ways to help those around me. Whenever I see families who are having a hard time, I will try my best to help with whatever I can share.