Arizona 12-Year-Old Collects 1,000 Coats For The Homeless: ‘If I Was Out There, I Would Want Someone To Care For Me.’

A 12-year-old in Arizona collected and donated about 1,000 coats for the homeless last month.

Makenna Breading-Goodrich of Surprise, Arizona, has collected coats for those in need for the last four years.

She even founded an organization, Makenna's Coats for a Cause, which works to ensure that those in need are able to stay warm.

"It gets really cold around here at night, like 30 degrees, and I want to make sure homeless people aren't walking around without jackets or blankets at night!" Breading-Goodrich told People Magazine. "I just want people to know someone cares about them."

Makenna Breading-Goodrich. Image source: Makenna's Coats for a Cause Facebook 

She dropped this year’s collection of coats off at Phoenix Rescue Mission, a shelter that provides food and housing for the homeless, last month.

"When I get a thank you, it's the best feeling," Breading-Goodrich said. "It's usually people who have nothing and when you show them you care, it can mean a lot."

In order to make sure she collects as many coats as possible, Breading-Goodrich passes out fliers in her community beginning in November to alert them of her mission. Later, she collects coats door-to-door using a Radio Flyer wagon.

"Most people say, 'I would do stuff like you do if I had more time,' " Breading-Goodrich said. "But I make time for this because it's important to me. And if people truly cared, they would make time too.”

“If I was out there, I would want someone to care for me," she added. "We should care about those that are in need, like they would do for us if we were in need. Something small can make a big difference. I want this to spread. A little kindness can inspire others!"

Jennifer Breading-Goodrich, Makenna's mom, sais the seventh-grader came up with the idea by herself.

"We're so happy with the person she is becoming," Jennifer Breading-Goodrich told People. "She's so selfless for being 12! We are beyond blessed."