It's been a summer to remember for Mico Hastings, whose summer school project turned out to be something good for the homeless in Arlington.
"One of my classes was entrepreneurship and the class project, at least the main one, was to come with an idea for a business. But after the class was over, I decided, 'Hey, why not make it come alive?' And so I did," Mico, 11, told NBC 5.
The business was called TropiShack. Mico set up a stand and sold lemonade with a tropical twist and bags of his specially-made TropiSnack with peanuts, M&Ms, raisins and Fruit Loops.
When it was all over, he discovered he had a lot of inventory left, and that's where the next idea was born.
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"I think it actually might have been an idea my dad came up with, and I was like, 'Hey, that's a really great idea. We should definitely do that,'" Mico giggled.
"There are a lot of family and friends who want to support us, but they are far away and it would be expensive to ship the goods. So, they were like, 'Just take the money but you don't have to give us the food.' So, we decided that every product that they buy but don't take will be given to the homeless."
Mico donated 40 bags of snacks to Arlington Charities to feed others. The nonprofit says he is one of the youngest philanthropists to ever make a donation.
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"This started out as a lesson in business and ended up as a gift of philanthropy," said Mico's mom, Maricar Estrella Hastings.
For the sixth-grader, wasting food was never an option. He got that from his dad, Jamey Hastings, along with his entrepreneurial spirit. Jamey was 19 when he started his first business.
For Mico and his parents, this business venture was about getting experience and facing challenges rather than making a buck.
With his parents' help, he found a way to help others.
"We didn't really count the numbers, so we're not sure it went well, but it went well in our hearts," Mico giggled.
The motto at his school is "Others Above Self," a lesson he seems to be learning well.
