Chicago's Owen Scholastic Academy students help feed homeless community on Global Youth Service Day

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Elementary students from Owen Scholastic Academy on Chicago's South Side stepped up to help out the homeless community on Saturday, which is considered Global Youth Service Day.

"It's not fair that the homeless don't have anywhere to go and have no food and stuff," said student Navea Withers.

Young kids spent their Saturday putting together hundreds of packages containing meals and hygiene kits. The package were sent directly to areas of need all across the city.

"My students actually came up with this idea in 2016 when we were studying the effects of homelessness, and how we can actually try to solve these problems," said Never McLeod, Owen Academy teacher.

"You kind of just want to help out and it feels good to help out," said student Juana Turner. "That's how I feel and I think everybody feels that way when you just get to help out and you know that you did something good."

It's a tradition that continues to grow at the school and one the kids are happy to be a part of.

"It's important to be doing this because there's people out there that don't have what other people have and I just like to help," said student Lourdes Williams.

It's an act of kindness that will feed at least 100 people and fulfill a desperate need that is apparent all across Chicago.

"We have people suffering. We've been at the point now where we had to you know, vote on gas cards to even help people out," said Ald. Derrick Curtis, 18th Ward. "But little small things people don't know about which is the necessities."