Small Hands, Big Purpose
At first glance, they’re just colorful headbands and scrunchies woven by small hands. But for nine-year-old Elsie Davenport, they’re something more: a way to help feed children in need.
What makes Elsie’s story especially sweet is how it began, not with a big campaign or a grand plan, but with a simple classroom moment. After seeing her teacher share a childhood story about making items to support Children’s Hunger Fund, Elsie decided to do the same. In that simple decision, a beautiful picture began to emerge—one act of compassion inspiring another, years later.
A Heart That Sees Others
Elsie is no stranger to serving at Children’s Hunger Fund. She volunteered alongside her parents and older siblings since she was just two years old and even celebrated her birthday there one year. During a visit to Poverty Encounter, she said it was both meaningful and sad to see how some children live.
“I liked watching the videos,” Elsie shared, “but it was also kind of sad how the kids had to live there.”
That experience stayed with her, shaping not only what she saw but also how she would respond when she had the chance to help.
A Simple Idea Takes Root
When Elsie’s teacher shared a story about something she had done as a child—making hats and headbands to support Children’s Hunger Fund—it felt like more than a lesson. It felt like something Elsie could do too.
“I wanted to do it,” Elsie said.
From there, the idea was simple: use what she already knew how to make and turn it into a way to help others.
Elsie already knew how to make headbands—crafted from colorful elastic bands that she could weave with her fingers in minutes. She sold them at school and church for a few dollars apiece—a small way she could make an impact.
A Full Circle Moment
For Madison Skidmore, Elsie’s third-grade teacher, hearing about Elsie’s plan carried a different kind of meaning.
Years earlier, as a student, she had created her own booth at a school carnival, selling headbands and hats for Children’s Hunger Fund. She even gave it a name—“Headbands for Hunger”—and donated all the proceeds.
That story—captured in a short video from her own childhood—wasn’t something she always planned to share. In fact, she hesitated at first, unsure how her students might react to seeing her at their age. But in the end, she decided to share it.
What happened next was more than she expected.
“It’s coming full circle now, which is pretty amazing,” Madison said.
What began as a small act of service years ago had now taken root in someone else, growing in ways she couldn’t have predicted.
A Foundation of Service
For the Davenports, serving wasn’t something new; it was something Elsie had grown up around.
“We’ve gone to Children’s Hunger Fund many times,” shared Elsie’s mom, Christy. “What I love about serving there is that such young kids can help.”
So, when Elsie told her mom she wanted to raise money for Children’s Hunger Fund, it felt like a natural next step. Together, they talked through what she could realistically make and sell on her own. They settled on headbands, something that fit Elsie’s skills and allowed her to take ownership of the project from start to finish.
When Seeds Begin to Grow
Elsie started selling her headbands not with a big marketing campaign but with simple word of mouth. Word spread, and people responded. She ended up selling more than 25 headbands, along with several scrunchies.
“Those little things from years ago,” Madison shared, “they are still producing fruit.”
And now, that fruit is growing again—this time in the hands of a third grader who saw an example and chose to follow it. A simple idea, passed from one generation to the next, has become more than a moment: a legacy of compassion that continues, one example at a time.
