For His Birthday, a Memphis 8-Year-Old Asked for No Presents. He Fed Strangers Instead.
Kentintton McNeil, an 8-year-old Downtown Elementary student, spent his birthday handing out chicken tacos and bottled water to people experiencing homelessness in downtown Memphis, the second year in a row he has done so. Seven people came last year. This year, nearly three dozen did.
Just News Desk, Correspondent||3 min read
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Many children spend their birthdays unwrapping presents. Kentintton McNeil, 8, had something else in mind. Instead of asking for toys or gifts, the Downtown Elementary student spent his birthday handing out warm meals and bottled water to people experiencing homelessness in downtown Memphis, FOX13 Memphis reported.
His reason, he told the station, was simple.
"I want to make them feel happy," he said. "I want them to feel joyful about their food, and I want them to have a great night today."
A plate of tacos, including chicken (pollo) tacos, in 2009. Illustrative image of the kind of meal served; it does not show the food or anyone in this story. Photo: Paul Bailey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tacos_-_al_pastor,_pollo_and_a_sunkist.jpg
He walked from person to person offering chicken tacos and water, and many accepted with smiles and words of thanks, according to FOX13. For at least one man, the gesture was deeply moving.
"It's wonderful," said Thomas Reese, a Memphis resident, as tears ran down his cheeks. "It is real wonderful."
It was the second consecutive year that Kentintton had chosen to mark his birthday by helping strangers, the station reported. Last year, seven people came to the meal giveaway. This year, nearly three dozen gathered for a warm meal.
He was quick to share the credit.
"My auntie, my cousin, my mama, my granny and my sister wanted to help out," he said. "Even my principal wanted to help out."
A Main Street Trolley car in downtown Memphis, May 2012. Illustrative image of downtown Memphis; it does not show anyone in this story. Photo: Adam Jones, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Exterior_of_Main_Street_Trolley_-_Downtown_Memphis_-_Tennessee_-_USA.jpg
Among those standing beside him was Brandy Williams, the principal of Downtown Elementary, who said he embodied what the school hopes to instill in every student.
"He is a shining example of what we're trying to build at our school," Ms. Williams said. "What we do in our school helps children become awesome everywhere else in the city. This is a shining example of doing the right thing, treating people right, and being a model for our students."
For his mother, Alexis McNeil, the evening was almost too much to take in.
"My heart is overwhelmed," she said. "He told us we could postpone his birthday trip because there will be another weekend. He said he wanted to continue what he started when he was seven years old. He wanted to bless other people because God has blessed him, and he wanted us to be a blessing to others."
The gathering ended, FOX13 reported, with family, friends and supporters singing "Happy Birthday" to the boy who had spent the day giving.
Sources: FOX13 Memphis, Martin Staunton, "Fox13 Exclusive: 'I want them to feel happy,' Memphis 8-year-old gives up birthday gifts to feed nearly three dozen people in need," Oct. 31, 2026 (https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/fox13-exclusive-i-want-them-to-feel-happy-memphis-8-year-old-gives-up-birthday/article_8f348c63-8a65-4148-b879-b0e90c2e8662.html). FOX13 did not state the exact date of the giveaway or of Kentintton's birthday. All images are illustrative, freely licensed photographs via Wikimedia Commons.
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