Kristopher Hudson, an 18-year-old from Bryant, Arkansas, works a summer job at his local Walmart in order to make money for college. What makes him unusual, however, isn’t that he’s scraping by in a low-paying retail job so that he can afford higher education — it’s that he gives to those who are less fortunate, even though he could probably use a financial gift or two himself.
In the video above, Hudson explains that he uses part of his paychecks to buy school supplies for kids as part his store’s back-to-school drive. Why? Because it would have made his mom proud. He told
THV11:
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
“One of the things she always told me and my brothers was to always encourage others; the best feeling you’ll ever have is when you get to help someone out.”
Ty McCollum, an assistant manager at the Bryant Walmart, said of Hudson’s goodwill:
“By him doing that other associates are like well you know if Kristopher has done this maybe I can chip in $2 or $3 to help out.”
The teen has also made a Facebook page challenging his co-workers and friends to donate, and he has promised that if his store donates 5,000 items, he will take a pie in the face.
Hudson is proof that paying it forward never has to be complicated.