“Toby?” I whispered.
He did not look at me. He looked out at the crowd with the kind of calm that made him suddenly seem older than sixteen.
“Hi,” he said into the mic.
His voice echoed softly through the gym.
A few people smiled, assuming he was nervous. He was not.
“I know we’re in the middle of bidding,” he said, “but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came tonight.”
The room settled fully.
He went on, “A lot of people know the auction raises money for community outreach, but this year the main beneficiary is the neighborhood food pantry.”
My hands went cold.
He turned slightly and looked at me then, just for a second. Not enough for others to notice, but enough for me to understand he had done this on purpose.
He continued, “My mom has run that pantry for years. She works there almost every day, and I know firsthand how many families depend on it.”
Now people were really listening.
He swallowed once and said, “So every dollar from tonight’s auction helps put groceries on tables in this town. It helps kids whose parents are struggling. It helps people keep going when things get hard. So, seriously, thank you.”
