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Kindness can be contagious.
One morning, the Contreras brothers—Max, age 15, and Pedro, 18—pulled up to the front of The Salvation Army Tucson Hospitality House with a wad of $20s in hand. Max had just withdrawn the money from his bank account with a heartfelt purpose in mind: to donate the money to feed people in the shelter experiencing homelessness.
“I just wanted to be a better person and to help,” Max said.
The inspiration struck the night before, at a party where the brothers were discussing religion and their beliefs with a group of friends.
“Max was talking about living a life of selflessness,” said Pedro, who challenged his brother to “live a life of action.”
Max had been holding onto over $1,000 for over a year, a gift from his father. Pedro encouraged him: “How about starting what you want to do tomorrow?”
So, the very next morning, not long after the hot Arizona sun had risen, Pedro picked up his brother and drove him to an ATM.
“We originally wanted to buy food and give it out to those who were unhoused, maybe even buy like $800 worth of McDonald’s and give it out,” Max said.
The logistics of such a task were daunting, however, and his mom didn’t love the idea.
“I decided to give it to someone who knows how to feed the homeless,” Max said. The Hospitality House came to mind—it is near where Pedro lives, and it’s a place the boys often drive by.
The Hospitality House provides both emergency housing and four-month transitional assistance to individuals and families facing homelessness. The facility, located near downtown Tucson, features a 112-bed facility with separate accommodations for men and women, and two family apartments.
Inside, the woman at the shelter’s intake desk looked shocked when the pair arrived with the donation, Max said. At first, she thought the boys were kidding. After all, it’s not every day that two teenagers show up with a handful of cash to donate.
“I just wanted to be a better person and to help.”
Max Contreras
Max had one simple request—that the money be spent on meals for the unsheltered, and that’s just what happened. The $800 donation funded meals for people staying at the shelter during the busiest time of the year, when triple-digit temperatures make life outdoors unbearable.
“We used his generous gift to help fund hundreds of meals during one of the busiest and most challenging times of the year: Tucson’s brutal summer,” said Kelli Beasley, The Salvation Army Tucson PR and Community Engagement Manager. “With temperatures consistently in the triple digits, our shelter fills up quickly, and that means more meals, more need, and more urgency. Max’s donation helped cover the cost of fresh food so that every person who walked through our doors could have a nourishing, dignified meal.”
Beasley was surprised and delighted when she heard the story. It was the first donation of its kind she’s encountered in the years she’s spent in her position.
“We’ve had many generous donations over the years, but this was truly unique, not just because of the amount, but because it came from a 15-year-old who made this decision entirely on his own,” she said.
Max attends school at Salpointe Catholic High School, where helping the less fortunate is emphasized, he said.
“Religion is a mandatory class,” Max said. “Every student gets to learn about Christianity. They offer church every Tuesday and Thursday. I really like the school—it helps your faith a lot.”
Max hopes to study electrical engineering at Penn State after high school. Pedro, who works in real estate with their aunt, is incredibly proud of his younger brother’s big heart. The two share a close bond, spending quality time together and supporting each other. Their bond was readily apparent to Beasley when they came to her office to share more of the story behind the donation.
“Watching them speak, you could see how deeply they cared for each other and the people around them. Their eyes lit up when talking about helping the people staying at the Hospitality House,” she said. “When Max shared how the idea came to him, that he wanted to start giving more than he receives, there was a powerful silence in the room. It wasn’t rehearsed, and it wasn’t for show. It was genuine, and it hit me that this young man had not only listened to the needs of the world around him but responded.”
The moment gave Beasley hope, she said.
“Not just for the clients we serve, but for the future. If two young men like Max and Pedro are already leading with their hearts, then maybe kindness really is contagious,” she said.
Do Good:
- It’s because of people like you that The Salvation Army can serve more than 27 million Americans in need each year. Your gift helps fight for good all year in your community. It’s an effort to build well-being for all of us, so together we rise—and that good starts with you. Give to spread hope with a donation of funds, goods or time today.
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