WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – A middle school boy in Waterloo is showing his community how to give by celebrating his birthday at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. Ben Crandall, a Kingsley Elementary fifth-grader, will have his 11th birthday party at the food bank, where guests will bring donations of food and money in lieu of gifts. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that party guests will also help clean and organize the donations that will be distributed.

Crandall got the idea of a food bank birthday party after driving with his mother past a billboard that stated that one in five children does not know where his or her next meal is coming from. The message resonated with the young boy, who decided to give to others. Crandall’s classmates, his teacher, and his principal will be in attendance.