Selma teen's water sales for school supplies spark $500 donation and acts of kindness

SELMA, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Friday, August 1, Nathan Fernandez held a neon green poster on Rose and McCall Avenues in downtown Selma advertising bottles of water for sale.

"I wanted to make money for school supplies and clothes," he said.

Not just for himself, but for his siblings as well, with the proceeds going towards school clothing.

A passerby noticed the 14-year-old with the sign and snapped a photo, posting it to a community Facebook page.

Selma resident Isaac Garza went a step further, re-posting the photo with this message:

"Hey, I'm going to be going to Selma Ross in between 12 and 2 o'clock, is there any way anyone would want to donate to this cause," Garza said.

That led to a heartwarming response.

"Within four hours, we had like 450 bucks," Garza said.

Garza added $50 of his own before reaching out to Fernandez and his family with news of the $500 donation.

"I felt blessed... I felt blessed," Fernandez said.

The next day, the pair spent six hours together, shopping and learning about each other.

"He's basically out here raising his own money, which is cool, like I said, he's 14 years old. He's got a great heart. He's got a big head on his shoulders," Garza said.

When it came time to check out, the items totaled a bit over their budget but Nathan and Isaac were met with another act of kindness.

"Next thing you know, some guy walks up behind us and he goes, 'Hey, is this the kid that was selling stuff to earn school clothes and supplies? Like, 'Yeah, this is him.' 'OK, don't worry about it, I got it," Garza said.

In the wake of that generosity, Nathan is now sharing his own uplifting life lesson.

"Keep grinding. Keep hustling. Stay in school and stay out of trouble," Fernandez said.

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