By Stacey A. Shannon—
YORKTOWN, IN—When Madden Moore was 12, he lost his wallet. That one seemingly trivial act had a spiral effect that has impacted numerous residents of Delaware County and beyond.
The now 16-year-old sophomore at Yorktown High School said his mom posted on her Facebook page about his lost wallet wondering if anyone had come across it. The response overwhelmed his family as people started giving money to replace what he had lost.
“I ended up with a lot more than I started with,” Moore said.
He wanted to find something to do with that extra money to help others. Along with his sister, Moore decided to take a page from his stepdad and buy rotisserie chickens to share with the unhoused members of the community. He and his family bought 20 chickens in November 2021 and distributed them downtown.
“To this day, I firmly believe that God compelled me to do that, and it has undoubtedly led to good things,” Moore said.
Five years later, his initial act has grown substantially. What’s now become known as Madden’s Chicken-Giving gave away 350 chicken meals in 2022, 1,000 in 2023 and 1,500 in 2024.
Photo provided
“It’s just grown year by year,” he said.
Moore said in particular his mom and aunt have helped him make connections throughout the community and figure out how best to get the meals to those in need.
He’s also had help from his peers at Yorktown High School. In November of 2024, about 70 high school volunteers helped with Madden’s Chicken-Giving. Many students helped ahead of time by making cards to put in with the chicken dinners that said things such as “You are loved” and “You are amazing inside and out.”
“I’ve always wanted to be able to help people as much as I can and make a difference in the community,” Moore said. “We [also] just want to inspire others to make a difference in their community.”
And he seems to be accomplishing that goal. Numerous volunteers and local businesses have participated in the Madden’s Chicken-Giving events.
“One thing I’ve seen is there are a lot of people who are really eager to devote their time, money and energy to go out and help and care for those who are less fortunate than them,” Moore said.
Locally, Meijer, Wick’s Pies, U.S. Foods, Piazza, Maucky’s, Café at the Crossing and Balance Yorktown have all been involved with the success of Madden’s Chicken-Giving.
“We’ve just had so much support,” Moore said. “We’ve had lots of support from businesses. It is primarily local businesses.”
In fact, receiving such a large amount of donations in 2024 led Moore to decide to hold a second Chicken-Giving in February. After learning that January and February were some of the hardest months for those who are unhoused, Moore chose to distribute 1,000 chicken dinners last November and 500 chicken dinners in mid-February.
For Moore himself, delivering the meals is the best part of the whole operation.
“The joy that can come from something we find so simple,” he said. “[To] some people in our community, that’s a luxury.”
Moore has plans to continue Madden’s Chicken-Giving and grow to provide as many meals as possible. In November, for example, the group was able to distribute dinners in surrounding counties as well.
With the main event happening in November, Madden’s Chicken-Giving begins looking for donations and volunteers in mid-October. Moore said the best way to stay updated on the event is to follow @MaddensChickenGiving on Instagram.
Listen to Dr. Greg Hinshaw, Superintendent of YorkTown Community Schools speak with Steve Lindell about Madden during his WMUN interview on February 24th.
