An Amherst 6 Year Old With a Big Heart – Tell Me Something Good

Today's "Tell Me Something Good" bodes well with the old adage good things come in small packages.

WGRZ-TV told us of the story of how Ayaan Arshad of Amherst is in most ways a typical six-year-old.

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He likes to use Legos, play with his friends and attend Smallwood Drive Elementary School in the Amherst School District.

But something about Ayaan is different.

Ayaan's parents planned to drop off some household donations to St. Luke's Mission of Mercy in Buffalo, N.Y.

"We just had so many things in boxes and suddenly he comes running with his little jar of money that he's been saving. His grandma got it for him. And he said, 'I want to take this and donate it,'" recalled Samreen Arshad.

Ayaan gave all the spare change he had been saving, about $40 worth, to St. Luke's.

He never even thought about keeping it for himself.

Listen to today's Tell Me Something Good here:

The staff at St. Luke's are especially grateful for donations, because since the pandemic hit they've been serving nearly twice as many meals each week — totaling about 5,200.

Ayaan's mother said she and his father have always tried, as parents often do, to instill the values of charity and generosity in their son.

"I wanted to give away money so people that are 'poorless' can get money and have a great rest of their life," said Ayaan.

After making the donation, he brought his jar back home with him and he plans to continue to save his money, so he can donate to a charity again.