Maryland 7-year-old is helping get essentials to people in need across the U.S.


Cavanaugh Bell is only in the second grade, but he's already doing his part to make the world a kinder place.
The Maryland resident started a nonprofit called Cool & Dope after being told by several organizations that he was too young to be a volunteer. Earlier this year, he used his $600 life savings to make care packages for more than 125 senior citizens in his neighborhood, so they didn't have to risk catching coronavirus at the grocery store. This summer, Bell raised money and held drives to get essentials like hygiene and cleaning products, clothes, diapers, and nonperishable food to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Bell told People he saw Pine Ridge while on a road trip in 2018, after his family drove for "miles and miles and there was straight-up nothing. I was like, 'Well, maybe we should do something for them since they're in the middle of nowhere.'" He dropped off his first load of supplies in July, and is preparing to make another delivery before winter. "I'm just trying to make them have a big fat smile on their faces," Bell said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bell aims to spread positivity, and Alice Phelps, a member of the Pine Ridge community, told People he's doing exactly that. The 7-year-old "believes he can save the world, and I believe him," she said. "He just carries that, 'Well, no problem, let's do it,' and he doesn't see anything as a challenge, so I love that innocence about him." Bell said he wants people to know that they can "have an impact no matter their age — no matter if you're 8, 10, or even my grandma's age, 74 — you can do anything." Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The Week Unwrapped: How did Japan become a space superpower?
Podcast Plus, why on earth are Labubu dolls so popular? Will buy-now-pay-later cause a new financial crisis?
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A tomato fight, painting behind bars, and more
-
Mountainhead: Jesse Armstrong's tech bro satire sparkles with 'weapons-grade zingers'
The Week Recommends The Succession creator's first feature film lacks the hit TV show's 'dramatic richness' – but makes for a horribly gripping watch
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia