A six-year-old girl has been dubbed Britain’s youngest homeless campaigner after making them packed lunches and lending a helping hand at a SOUP KITCHEN.
Selfless Milly Matthews bagged up 18 lunches with special handwritten messages in which she dished out among the needy in her home city on July 15.
She then spent an entire morning serving hot food and drinks to more than 160 rough sleepers at a soup kitchen.
The youngster was inspired to begin her campaigning crusade after a homeless man approached her in Shirehampton, Bristol., and asked for some spare change.
It was the first time Milly had witnessed the harsh realities of homelessness, an issue she felt “wounded by”, according to her mother who was with her at the time.
Milly set about devising a plan to solve Bristol’s homelessness – which initially included buying every person a meal from McDonald’s.
Quickly realising her pocket money wouldn’t stretch quite that far, she accompanied mum Emma, from Lawrence Weston, Bristol., and sister Ruby on her weekly shop.
The youngster penned a list of items she wanted to buy and spent a whole morning making sandwiches and personalised messages which read, ‘made with love from Milly Matthews, aged 6’.
The packed lunches included crisps, a cheese and ham sandwich, fruit, a bottle of water and a cereal bar or chocolate.
Later that day, she then trudged along Whiteladies Road, Park Street, College Green, Broadmead and the city centre before going through Castle Park — which took two hours.
Her proud mother Emma, 28, who works in a specialised local children’s centre, said: “When we first saw a homeless person, she was really quite nervous.
“But she went up to him with Ruby by her side and asked if he would like a lunch, which he accepted and said ‘thank you very much’.
“She walked away with the biggest smile on her face – she was just so happy.
“She made 18 lunches in total and we gave out 15. She’s feeling very proud of herself, and I’m really proud of her too.
“Milly is such a sweet, little girl and to see her smile the way she did, knowing she had helped make a difference to someone else, was lovely. I was blown away by her generosity.”
She added: “It was initiated by herself, she felt a little wounded after learning about homeless people.”
Milly then decided to help out at a soup kitchen on July 22.
“The soup kitchen was intense. The girls were completely unfazed and really enjoyed the experience,” added Emma.
“To say we were humbled is a massive understatement. The work that they do is outstanding.
“We met over 160 people some with some incredible stories.
“I asked Milly how she felt and she replied ‘awesome’, she wasn’t afraid at all she was happy to be helping people as it’s ‘fun and kind’.
“The people who access the service were grateful and were lovely to the girls.
“Milly and Ruby served the packed lunches along with a few members of the team. They found what the guests asked for and handed over drinks too.
“They did this for about 30mins before collecting a bag of chocolate biscuits to hand out.
“Together we walked around the group offering chocolates to everyone. Then we handed out some cakes that had been prepared.
“They also sat with a few of the guests to find out some stories. Both girls left feeling proud that they had helped people and were keen to go back again.
“They received a warm welcome and I hope their kind words and loving smiles helped people that evening. On to the next for my little angels.”
Milly is now planning to organise a fair to raise money for local charities working hard to support vulnerable people in Bristol.
