As people pulled up to the table for firsts or seconds on Thanksgiving Thursday, Dahlia Rubalcava's family was in the kitchen, prepping food for strangers to fulfill the young girls birthday wish.
That's because Dahlia asked her family to give back to the less fortunate for her eighth birthday.
Norma Soto, Dahlia's mother, shared, "She said, 'I would like anything that you were gonna spend on my cake, spend on giving me a party, I would like you to use it to provide food to the homeless."
Dahlia's request lingered a few years until the family could pull it off.
Thanks to friends' donations and the family's own pockets, Dahlia's Thanksgiving birthday wish became a reality Thursday.
"When I see those people I get sad," Dahlia said. "I have something at home. I have clothes. I have food, where I can go home to."
So, for Thanksgiving this year, Dahlia and her team distributed food and newly purchased bedding. It was hot meals and warm hearts, fostering reasons for gratitude in the lonely streets.
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"Even when we feel like we can't do something, go ahead and try it," Soto said. "You could be making a change in someone's life.
She added, "You could save a life. Give a smile. Give a hug. Don't be scared."
As for the child behind the concept, Dahlia sounds like she may have a future in philanthropy.
"I want to start a company where more people come in, they donate if they want to," Dahlia said about her future ambitions. "Just so we can help the homeless."
