Young mind, bright idea

Published 7:30 am Saturday, March 4, 2017

Colton Blackman brought his shopping cart to a stop in front of the granola bars. The 7-year-old jumped a few times to reach a box before ultimately asking his mom, Candy Sutton-Blackman, for help.

Overall, Candy has provided minimal assistance throughout Colton’s effort to give backpacks full of supplies to homeless people in Portland.

“I’m letting him do everything,” Candy said as Colton picked the foods to include in the bags.

She said the most she has done to help is drive Colton to where he needs to be and make a Facebook post about Colton’s idea.

“I have not had a lot to do with it,” Candy said. “It’s his project.”

That Facebook post, however, led to donations from friends and community members, including soap, feminine products and monetary contributions.

The money included $10 each from three individuals and a $50 gift card to Grocery Outlet.

Grocery Outlet co-owner Michelle Willson said she wanted to help in any way she could.

“I like to help people like him, people who are doing good,” Willson said. “I think what he’s doing is such a great thing, especially for him to have that idea at his age.”

Colton filled a shopping cart to the brim Thursday with food, nearly all of which was covered by the gift card and the monetary donations.

As he made his way through the aisles, Colton had to make choices about which items he thought people could actually use, leaving behind the utensils he was eyeing. He considered how much he could fit into the backpacks, which items had a longer shelf life and which products had more protein.

The goal was to have each backpack filled with four snacks, two pieces of fresh fruit, water bottles, “and now bread and peanut butter,” Candy said after Colton made the decision to buy 15 loaves of bread.

The bags will also include two pairs of socks, two hats, hand warmers, a pair of gloves and a blanket to help people stay warm.

“They can get cold, because they sleep on the hard ground,” Colton said. “Some probably already have a blanket, but now they’ll have a new one. Maybe they can put their old one on the ground and use it like a sleeping bag.”

Toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant, all of which were donated by friends, will also be included in each bag.

The backpacks themselves were on clearance at Walmart, and Colton bought all 15 that were available. In addition to carrying the new items and other belongings, Colton said the backpacks could help people sleep.

“They can stuff them with blankets or other things and use them as pillows,” he said.

There will also be some items that have been donated that not every bag will have, like dog food for people who have a dog and toys for people who have children.

“They hardly get to play with anything,” Colton said of children in need. “It feels bad when I’m bored, so I don’t want them to feel bored.”

Any items that are left over after all the backpacks are full will be put into gallon ziplock bags and also given out in Portland.

Colton got his idea from past experiences. Candy said the family has given water and other items to homeless people when they travel.

“I feel sorry for them that they don’t have much,” Colton said.

Since Colton’s family will be traveling to Portland this weekend — his sister lives in Corvallis — it was as good a time as any to offer assistance to the homeless population.

“(Portland) is where I usually see (homeless) people,” he said.

Originally, Colton wanted to give each homeless person a generator and a tent with sleeping bags and pillows.

“We whittled it down to things we could actually fit in our vehicle and could actually afford,” his mom said.

Colton and his family will hand the backpacks out as they spot people around Portland.

Colton is prepared for some people to turn down the backpack and possibly start yelling or cursing.

“They might not trust us or think we’re spies,” he said.

But others will be “brave” and accept the backpacks, Colton said.

Candy said she hopes people see Colton’s project as positivity in a negative world.

“If one little guy can help that many people, just think what could happen if we all did something like this,” she said.

Colton said he is excited to be “Jesus’ hands and legs” as he helps those less fortunate than him.

“(I’m also telling them) that we’ll pray for you,” he said.