When Hailey Fort was six, she saw a person standing on the street in her town. She wanted to 1 him, so she and her mom gave the man a sandwich and a bottle of water.
Hailey kept thinking about the man and what it would be like to be 2 . She knew that fresh fruits and vegetables often weren't 3 at food banks, where homeless people may get canned or boxed food. An idea 4 to her.
"There was a garden in our backyard, and we weren't using it," she said. "I asked my mom if I could use that garden to grow food for the homeless."
Now, several years later, Hailey's garden had 5 many people with fresh produce. When food was ready to be 6 , Hailey picked, washed, and bagged it. Then she and her mom gave the bags to people on the street or to a local food bank. Hailey had given away more than 550 pounds of fruits and vegetables 7 !
While 8 food, Hailey and her mom often saw people more than once. They learned their names and talked with people about what it was like to be homeless. When Hailey found out that people without homes didn't 9 have safe or comfortable places to sleep, she thought of a new project — building a sleeping 10 .
Due to her mom's 11 , Hailey learned to build one big enough for a person to sleep in. Hailey's family was working with local groups to find a good place to park the structure as 12 housing for someone in need.
Hailey had learned a lot since she gave away her first sandwich — and not just about gardens and
13 . She has learned to see people who are homeless as individuals. To help others, she said, "Start
14 . You can always 15 over the years."
