MCRAE-HELENA, Ga. — What began as a modest goal to donate 50 Thanksgiving meal kits to people in need turned into something far bigger for 14-year-old Jack Nelson.

The McRae-Helena teenager ended up tripling his initial target, distributing 150 meal kits throughout Wheeler County after a social media post caught fire and donations poured in from across the country.

Nelson said he was inspired to organize the food drive after witnessing how the loss of SNAP benefits affected members of his community.

"We saw that the government shut down. Everybody that had benefits before weren't getting them, and I know Wheeler County isn't the richest community," Nelson said. "So we just really wanted to help them in any way we could."

What started as a small operation in his garage quickly overwhel

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