SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A 13-year-old San Ysidro girl's act of kindness has helped inspire others to give.
Sahara Rodriguez read an article and how a young boy in Tijuana, Alexis, was trading his toys for food after his mother lost her job during the pandemic. Rodriguez wanted to help.
She asked her mother to begin collecting food. They went to neighbors and friends to gather what they could, then traveled across the border to deliver the food to Alexis family.
"I’m very proud of her," said her mother, Dafne Noguez. "She’s a very shy girl and I’m very surprised that she’s been coming out of her shell and able to help a lot of people.”
Noguez credits Sahara's involvement with the Girl Scouts for helping her daughter develop more confidence and leadership skills.
"It’s just so inspiring to see how she’s growing in that sense," said Alexandra Delgado of Girl Scouts San Diego, who has worked with Sahara over the years. "She did that step herself. Nobody asked her to do it. She just felt it was right.”
Since that first donation, Sahara has continued collecting food donations to take to Tijuana. Alexis' family is now back on its feet, and Alexis is helping Sahara find other families more in need of the aid.
"As a Girl Scout, it’s good to help people and we need to be caring about other people," Sahara said.
In addition to collecting donations to deliver across the border, Sahara also works to help Rady Children's Hospital and is now working on a project to contribute to her community in San Ysidro.
