Instead of spending money on a lavish birthday celebration, a 15-year-old Mérida, Yucatán, girl opted to use her party funds to help feed the needy.

Jiromy Xool Pech, who turned 15 on August 3, asked her parents to use the money they would have spent on her birthday party to provide food for people who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Instead of having a party, I prefer to give food to people, to help themselves,” said the young woman.

Turning 15 is normally no small affair in the lives of young women in Mexico. The milestone birthday marks the passage to womanhood and normally entails princess gowns and elaborate celebrations in parties known as quinceañeras. 

But for Jiromy, a demonstration of excess in a time when so many are in need was something she chose to forego. 

Instead, she and her extended family spent the weekend prior to her birthday on Monday preparing and distributing food to her neighbors in need.

The menu centered around turkeys that the family had raised especially for the party and some of Jiromy’s neighbors and local businesses joined in. 

“It wasn’t what I had planned, but much better,” she said.

Source: El Universal (sp), Publimetro (sp)