Ridgeland High School student Matt Bonine is again playing Santa Claus by spearheading the Stuff a Kid’s Heart program for children in need. The RHS senior, who said he would like to work for the Department of Family and Children’s Services one day, also hopes to one day launch a Stuff a Kid’s Heart Scholarship.Ridgeland High School senior Matt Bonine knows what it’s like to have nothing, but through the support of teachers and friends, he and his family got back on their feet. Now, he’s looking to pay it forward through the Stuff a Kid’s Heart Toy Drive.
“I know what it’s like to have lights cut off and be evicted,” Bonine said. “And now it’s time to help other kids in need.”
The goal is to look beyond toys for Christmas and see what else families may need. The list of children helped this year includes some from the Walker County Sheriff’s Office Stocking Full of Love program, a family from the Catoosa County Angel Tree and a Ridgeland-area family of six children and their mother, whose house recently burned down.
“We gave everyone on the list a call to see if they need turkeys and Christmas trees and anything else needed in the holiday season,” said Bonine. “I started this out by buying toys with my own money.”
Bonine first dreamed up the idea last year, making it a reality with the help of his mentor and teacher Wade Thomison. That year, they bought 100 toys and donated them to the Walker County Department of Family and Children’s Services.
“He has bought 600-plus toys out of his own pocket,” Thomison said. “He got donations of miscellaneous items and had a yard sale.”
This year, said Bonine, the project filled a storage locker with toys.
“These are my kids,” Bonine said of the families he’s helped, reminiscing about the sixth-grade teacher who brought him toys when his own family was in need.
Bringing the project full circle, Walker County Schools Superintendent Damon Raines and Ridgeland High School Principal Glen Brown joined with Bonine this year to help raise money.
One anonymous member of the community even offered to donate $700 to the toy drive, forgoing Christmas at his own home to benefit area children.
“Instead of exchanging gifts, the family thought they should give the money to the program,” said Thomison. “That’s what Christmas is all about.”