Local boy turns 6th birthday into community service project

By Bobby Horn Jr.
news@casscountynow.com

LINDEN—How many six-year old boys would turn down the opportunity to get some new toys so that they could help out a complete stranger?
That is exactly what Rowdy Haley did.
This year, for his sixth birthday, Rowdy asked friends and family members that rather than bring him toys and other gifts, they give him non-perishable food items that he could donate to a local food pantry.
“He set a goal to overload his wagon with food for the Linden United Methodist Church Food Pantry,” mother Brandy Haley said.
And overload he did. Between what he collected at his birthday party and donations from his church Caves Springs Baptist Church and from family members, he collected 293 pounds of food. He delivered the food to the church on his birthday, June 29.
Although not members of the Methodist church, Brandy said that they knew of the pantry through friends who attended the church. “We (Brandy and Rowdy) talked about it and he really like the idea,” she said. “He was really excited about getting the donations and taking them to the church.”
Rowdy said that he wanted to thank Greg Herron, his Uncle Ray and Aunt Rhonda, his Meme Pete, his church family and friends Baylon Adock, Judson Pate, Wyatt Weaver and Abigail King for helping him “overload” his wagon.