No matter the weather, every week, 14-year-old Ella Schoenborn and her dad are out trying to help others.

“At the end of the day, I can say to myself that I’ve done something good for the community and I’ve helped someone," says Ella Schoenborn, founder of Project Ella.

When Schoenborn was just 9 years old, she learned about homelessness after seeing a man sleeping outside in the snow. That’s when Project Ella was born.

She collects bottles and cans to redeem them for money and then uses that money to purchase food to donate.

“We take things for granted, and so you know at 9 years old, it was it was kind of like being self-aware of what you have and what’s going on in your community," Schoenborn said.

Project Ella helps feed 3-500 people every week. On a recent day, organizers dropped off 2,000 pantry items at the Salvation Army.

Since starting Project Ella, Schoenborn has helped more than a dozen organizations and food pantries.

“So to have some young people caring about the community caring about people, it just makes me think that she and maybe her friend will continue to do that as they get older, because that’s how we survive,” Hudson Salvation Army Director Darcy Connor said. “If we didn't have volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to survive.”

Schoenborn also donates to the Catskill Community Fridge, and once a week, she helps fill shelves to the brim.

“Somebody can come here and get something to eat and just, you know, have something at least," Schoenborn said.

The other part of her mission, she said, is to inspire kids around her.

“I also want to spread awareness and show other people my age or younger that they can do something like this as well," Schoenborn said.