Braeden Mannering’s Big Picture Helps The Homeless

Braeden Mannering Helps Delaware Community
Don’t forget The Big Picture! Thank you, Braeden!

It is so easy to get lost in the busyness of business with the to-do lists, emails, rush hour traffic and deadlines that we forget about “the big picture”. Meet Braeden Mannering, an inspiring ten year old Delawarean that sees the bigger picture, understands that there are people in Delaware that may not know when their next meal will be – and does something about it.  

“Anytime I see a person on the street with a sign saying they need help I hope I can give them one of my bags and I hope I can help them.” – Braeden Mannering

   Meet Braeden Mannering – An Inspiration!

Braeden Mannering at the White House
Braeden Mannering at the White House in 2013

Braeden Mannering was the Delaware winner for the national Healthy Lunchtime Challenge last year. In July 2013, he was invited to the Kids’ State Dinner at The White House where he met The President, First Lady and Senator Tom Carper. He was inspired by his visit and the thought provoking speech from Michelle Obama that asked the audience how they could “pay it forward”. Braeden Mannering took this request to heart and really thought about ways he’d like to give back to others. He realized how sad he felt by the number of homeless people asking for food with signs in Washington, D.C. and noticed how regularly he saw them in Delaware too. 3Bs: Braeden’s Brown Bags

Braeden Mannering Delivering Brown Bags to Homeless Community
Braeden Mannering Delivering 3B’s Brown Bags

Motivated to help those in need, he gave whatever he had with him to the next few homeless people he saw – bottled water, snacks and even an umbrella in the rain. He was thanked warmly for his kindness and realized that he could help others by having bags of water and healthy snacks readily available for those in need during his travels. He also took the time to research and compile a list of local places to go for additional help to include in each bag. One year later One year and over 1,300 brown bags later, Braeden Mannering was invited back to The White House for the 2014 Kids State Dinner as a guest speaker and to introduce The First Lady, Michelle Obama. He did such a great job – you’ll want to take a minute to watch his speech here: I have had the opportunity to hang out with Braeden on a few occasions and he’s a ten year old on a mission to help build a better world. He’s also a kid that enjoys Clash of Clans, video games, drawing, telling funny stories about his siblings and sharing cool ideas. I enjoy following his posts on social media, written from Braeden himself, they act as little cues to cut back on the busyness of business to take time to give back every day. Even if it is a few minutes of re-tweets or Facebook post shares to help spread awareness of doing good – every little bit counts. Thank you for being such an inspiration and a constant motivator, Braeden! Keep up the awesome work – you rock! Connect with Braeden Mannering: 3B’s Brown Bags on Facebook, Twitter  and read about his latest adventures on his blog. If interested in ways to help his cause, you can do that here.

Thank you for reading this post! Feel free to share your comments, favorite charities and ways you like to give back in the comments below.