News 12 at 6 o'clock--June 19, 2009

COLUMBIA COUNTY--A Columbia County girl who's only 5 years old made a big sacrifice on what many kids her age would call a sacred holiday, her birthday. Instead of gifts, she asked for donations to help a needy part of the community.

For most kids, their birthday is a day to be a prince or a princess and be showered with gifts. Micah Johnston got the princess part. But she wanted her presents to go to some needy pooches.

Micah is a pretty ordinary young lady. She likes to slide, play with her crazy dog Daisy, and hang out with her stuffed animals. But for being only 5, she chose a very mature birthday present.

Reporter: "What did you get for your birthday?"
Micah: "Dog and cat food."

Yep, that's right. Instead of toys or dolls, Micah wanted dog and cat food for her birthday presents.

Micah's mom, Jenni, says the downstairs toy closet is a big reason she made the suggestion. As you might imagine, Micah has plenty of toys.

"I didn't really know if she'd go for it or not. But she did," Jenni said.

So it was part toy overload and part economy.

"I didn't want her friends and family to feel like they had to spend $10-$15 on a gift for her when they could just buy a $3 bag of dog food," Jenni explained.

And so, about 30 bags of $3 dog food rolled in. Ok, so now you're asking, why pet food?

Because Jenni had heard the small, but very full Washington-Wilkes Animal Shelter was in desperate need of food.

Director Gloria Wheatley has almost 200 pets on her hands. And every drop of food is precious. So, needless to say, when Micah brought the food, Gloria was moved.

"When you get a child that wants to give instead of receive, it's always a good thing," Gloria said.

And in giving, Micah and her mom got something in return: a good feeling.

If you'd like to donate to the Washington-Wilkes Animal Shelter, you can call Gloria at 706 318 1705.
Or you can donate to another shelter in your area. They can all use it.

Apparently Micah's mom says some of her friends have done the same thing with their birthday parties.