By james art 
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Andre Banks spends his weekends differently. He collects canned goods for his nonprofit One Can One Kid, using the proceeds to provide for children in the community.
“We do this through scholarships, feeding food insecure families and adopting families at Christmas. We also do back-to-school hairstyles,” Banks said.
His favorite initiative is feeding families at Thanksgiving.
“So there are plenty of turkeys and we’re having a good time. It’s really nice to help some people out and make sure they have a hot meal on Thanksgiving,” Banks said.
Andre’s story begins eight years ago in a low-income neighborhood.
“So I started saving boxes in my old neighborhood that I lived in to help offset some of the cost of snacks and ice cream trucks or whatever for the kids in that neighborhood,” Banks said.
The dreams of providing for these children led Andre to expand this good work into a full non-profit organization, complete with a board. He sees this charity as a way to give back to the community that raised him.
“I’ve had a lot of people: friends, family, teachers, coaches, that have helped me in my success, and this was just a way of giving back to them for everything they poured into me,” Banks said.
Andre is eager to share his passion with anyone who will listen, including a person who became curious by seeing him on our camera.
“The great thing was that I got to meet Andre, first of all. And his One Can One Kid program is outstanding,” said Jeff Preissner. “I learned a few things about recycling and how important and imperative it is to do it.”
Andre says that with his recycling efforts, Topeka’s future wins.
“The kids in our community are what’s going to build the community and keep it growing for the next 20 years, 30 years,” Banks said. “So we have to invest in our kids, or else we won’t have a community that anyone will even invest in.” If they go on to help someone else, then that’s the goal.”
If you are interested in volunteering with One Can One Kid or want to know how to get involved, feel free to email Mr. Banks at [email protected]. You can also donate to charity through Venmo.
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