Teen’s Chicken-Giving campaign feeds over 1,500 people for Thanksgiving
MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — The spirit of giving takes on a new form in Muncie, where 16-year-old Madden Moore has turned a small effort into a thriving initiative: the Chicken-Giving campaign.
Madden Moore started the Chicken-Giving campaign four years ago, distributing just over 50 chickens to the homeless.
This year, his initiative has grown into a heartwarming tradition, with over 1,500 full meals with support from family, friends and local businesses.
Moore, a sophomore student at Yorktown High School, said, “This is a project that started a few years ago. I lost my wallet in a Target, and lost a bunch of money. My mom made a Facebook post, and a bunch of people reached out and donated to replenish all the money. I ended up having way more than I had originally. So … I wanted to do something to help the community that helped me.”
What began as an inspiration from his stepdad, who would buy rotisserie chickens for people in need, has blossomed into a bustling holiday tradition.
“We gave out 15 that first year when it was just our family,” Moore said. “We started, like, promoting it three years ago, our second year, and raised enough to give out 350 to 500 meals. The next year, the community insanely grew it. We had 1,000 meals we could give out last year.”
Community members gathered this week at the Union Chapel Church in Muncie in advance of Thanksgiving. Volunteers of all ages were assigned roles from cooking and packing meals to distributing warm clothing and food to surrounding communities. Moore shares his vision with the volunteers, emphasizing the importance of connection and compassion.
“They all get the chance to go deliver and hand them to those in need, which I think is the most fulfilling part of the whole process,” Moore said. “And then we’ve had … I’ve also promoted it at my school. We’ve had meetings to decorate cards, where we’ve had, like, bunches of students come in, and it’s just been really cool seeing the community get involved.”
More than 200 volunteers deliver the Thanksgiving bags, heartfelt cards, and friendship bracelets to Muncie and surrounding communities, including New Castle, Marion, Anderson, and Kokomo.
“Madden, he’s just kind-hearted,” said Reid Corle, a seventh grader at Yorktown Middle School. “He has such a big heart. He really does a lot for the community, and it’s just great that he can do that. It’s great that we have a community that supports him with this. I mean, we have hundreds of people here today.”
The Chicken-Giving campaign is a beacon of hope, proving that the impact is immeasurable when hearts unite in service.
“We should honor ourselves in that we have been blessed enough to not be in that situation,” Moore said. “But we can so easily be put in it, and we should empathize with those who are.”