“We all have so much to give and everyone can make a difference, you just have to try. Even little things make a huge difference when you add them up."

Beautiful words, aren’t they? These are the now infamous last words of a letter read aloud at St. Peter’s Church, a letter written by an individual who wanted to help out with the soup kitchen and food pantry. This individual is named Kashmiera Consenza.

Kashmiera Consenza is 8 years old.

Last year, Kashmiera’s efforts saw over 550 pounds of food and $500 in Christmastime gift cards donated to the hungry of Phoenixville. She is backed by no agency or club in these deeds; rather, this dynamic young girl started this all on her own. 

The inspiration for Kashmiera’s work struck one evening when she was riding in the car with her mother. Passing through the alley behind St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, the pair saw a line of people standing around, as if they were waiting for something.

“Miera asked why the people were just standing there and I explained that there was a soup kitchen there where people who didn’t have enough food could come to eat,” said Jules Consenza, Kashmiera’s mother.

The young girl, 7 at the time, was shocked to learn that countless people in her own community were suffering. She knew right away that she needed to act, needed to put her feelings to work in order to help out. 

Of her own accord, Kashmeira asked her mother if they could write a letter to St. Peter’s to ask if there was anything she could do. She dictated as her mother wrote, and the letter, later to be read for the whole congregation, caught the attention of St. Peter’s clergy.

They reached out to the girl right away, eager to hear for themselves that these ideas belonged to her and were not the brainchild of her parents. Immediately evident that her intentions were genuine and that she was driven to see them through, she was invited to execute her plans.

During one of her shifts at the soup kitchen, where she and her mother volunteer every six weeks, Kashmiera learned they were out of boxed cereal, which normally is sent home with all of the patrons along with other staples.

“Miera was devastated,” her mother said, “and so she decided we’d go door to door and ask people for cereal.”

Go door to door they did. Those donations, along with the Consenza family’s personal contributions, totaled 250 boxes of cereal.

The marquis achievement on Kashmiera's altruism résumé has to be the PantryPalooza, held in 2011. She personally solicited and booked seven bands to play the Polish Club event for free, the proceeds benefiting the pantry and soup kitchen.

“We charged $8 per ticket, $4 if the person brought a food donation. Most people paid full price and brought tons of food,” her mother said. "We really owe a debt of gratitude for the people at the Polish Club for their support".

"Tons of food" may be an exaggeration, but not by much—the event pulled in 550 pounds of food and $500, all thanks to the actions and chutzpah of one exceptional girl.

The soon-to-be 9-year-old, who has achieved Distinguished Honors as a student, earned a green stripe yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do and bowls a 138, is reprising this successful event again this spring, the week before Easter.

Kashmiera acknowledges there is something about her that is different from her peers, even though she sincerely believes everyone can make a difference if they try. For all intents and purposes, however, there is nothing about her family or her circumstances that would make her any more predisposed to do such good works.

As her mother said so well: "To look at me and her dad and step-parents, we are all punk rockers, covered in tattoos and piercings, but we managed to get it right somehow."  

Kashmiera's story is a reminder that all of us, regardless of age, have within us the power to change the world, even with just one box of cereal at a time.

To find out more about St. Peter's food pantry or see some items you could donate to help stock their shelves, visit the church's website.