Collecting cans to the Maxx!
- deansimpson7
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
BY LERISSE SMITH
Meet Maxx.
Salvos fundraiser, volunteer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, cook, Baw Baw Shire’s Young Citizen of the Year for 2025 – and one seriously inspiring teen.
At just 16 years of age, Maxx Jenkins from Warragul, Victoria, also runs ‘Maxx’s Cans for Kindness’, a thriving charitable initiative he launched in 2023 to help people in need in his local community.
And it has been a roaring success.
Despite not drinking soft drinks himself, Maxx and his family have collected an amazing 48,744 recyclable cans and received cash donations with a total value of $5064. Over $2700 has been donated to the Salvos.
“I like to help people in need,” he says of his support for the Salvos.
A chat with Maxx, who takes pride in the special double ‘x’ in his name and lives with Autism and an intellectual disability, and his equally proud mum, Leah, makes one thing instantly clear: he’s driven by compassion and empathy, not attention.
And being a little bit famous in his hometown hasn’t changed him one bit.
Leah is the first to tell you that Maxx has no real interest in keeping money for himself. He is happier to give it away.
“He simply doesn't need or want the money for himself,” Leah emphasised. “He’s really happy to share, especially when he knows he’s helping others who need it more than himself. He has never been a greedy person. It is within his nature. He has a good heart and is very caring of people, even though he might not communicate it in the typical way.”
So how did it all start?
Quite simply, with a home-schooling project on recycling. But it didn’t stay small for too long. After its initial inception in November 2023, it took off into a thriving community effort.
The concept for ‘Maxx’s Cans for Kindness’ is simple yet powerful: collect bottles and cans, exchange them for cash, and donate the proceeds to charity. Every cent collected goes to helping local people in need through various charities.
The idea to donate to The Salvation Army came from his dear friend and support worker, Sam Gardiner, who works for the Salvos as a case worker in Pakenham. She knew donated funds went directly to people in need.
Since the project took off, the young entrepreneur has collected tens of thousands of cans and bottles, with locals regularly dropping off their recyclables, and the Jenkins family, friends, his Pop, and close friend Sam undertaking plenty of pickups, too.
They all have eyes on one special target: To hit 50,000 bottles and cans by next month.
And last Christmas, Maxx took his mission even further.
He organised an appeal through Facebook to give people a brighter Christmas. It raised $1000 in gift vouchers and $1000 in groceries for Salvation Army hampers. After several trips to the Salvos to ascertain what was needed for the hampers, he embarked on several shopping trips filled with festive cheer and scanning fun.
Christmas puddings and custard were among the array of festive treats that ensured the hampers were packed with seasonal joy.
But his relentless fundraising efforts don’t stop there.
Maxx has also helped organise the Biggest Morning Tea to raise money for the Cancer Council. And at this year’s Australia Day awards, the Baw Baw Shire Mayor, Cr Danny Goss, praised the outstanding work of the young teen, describing him as someone who went above and beyond, and a shining example that having Autism was no barrier to helping others.
“I cried happy tears,” Leah says when reflecting on the night her son won the award. “It is not just making a difference to the people that Maxx is helping, he is also gaining and learning so many skills from the social aspect, to using his communication skills, not to mention the educational benefits, which are real-life skills.”
There have been plenty of other exciting and surprising discoveries, too.
Through Maxx’s various fundraising ventures and initiatives, he has developed valuable life, social and educational skills.
These include estimating recycling numbers, counting money, addition, communication, community and social involvement, using spreadsheets and calculators, banking, shopping, budgeting, physical coordination, navigation, spelling, learning addresses, dates, and record-keeping.
It has paid off in unexpected ways.
“Autism works in such mysterious ways,” Leah reflected.
“Maxx can have excellent skills in one area but really lack in another, which typically wouldn’t make sense. Or a skill can just pop up, and unfortunately, just as easily disappear. And with an added intellectual disability, we actually don’t know what Maxx is capable of sometimes, or from day to day. So, for him to have money in his hand and be able to count it, or to estimate a large number of cans, for example, accurately estimating 1800 cans when there were actually 1900, is truly amazing. And then for him to remember those numbers from week to week and add them together is even more amazing! A talent we didn’t know existed.”
Maxx has the most remarkable memory in certain areas, particularly numbers and dates. He only needs to know a person’s birthday once to remember it when you least expect it, Leah explained. However, he needs support and prompting to remember simple day-to-day tasks: “So, a lot of skills have been uncovered throughout this amazing journey, and the donation part is just the icing on the cake!”
In his downtime, Maxx loves bushwalking and spending time with his beloved dogs, Diesel and Lani.
He is also never far from Sam, whom he has known since he was five years old and originally his aide in prep. She is part of his circle of support, along with other special helpers for his home schooling.
But no matter how far his story spreads, Maxx’s heart is always with his family.
Reflecting on her close-knit family, which includes her husband, Warren, and three other sons, Oscar, George, and Charlie, Leah said they have been blessed with a strong support network of friends and family. Two of Maxx’s favourite people are his Nan and Pop, who were honoured to receive Maxx’s special award when the family were away. Maxx loves staying with them, helping out, getting up to mischief with his Pop, and cooking with Nan.
His signature dishes? At the top of the list are hedgehog slices, scones, lemon slices, Kit Kat slices, and sausage rolls. He loves a good party too!
Leah also recalled how, even as a toddler, Maxx’s empathy shone: if he had something, he made sure his close younger brother, Oscar, had it too. Furthermore, his fundraising ventures have led to stronger social connections with the community.
“We are very proud of Maxx – he is quietly becoming famous, not that he needs to be or understands what the big deal is,” she remarked. “When people see and hear of Maxx giving and helping so much, they can’t help but want to jump on board and join in by helping him collect cans. Kindness is contagious!
Maxx is humble in his success: “I don’t do it all on my own,” he said. “Other people help me.”
And the young entrepreneur isn’t slowing down.
He was recently filmed to feature in a promotional video for ‘Return-It Victoria’, Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme. The project aimed to share his story and highlight how communities can make a difference together. He is also looking forward to organising another morning tea for the Cancer Council in the next few months and cooking up a storm with his helpers and family.
His next big dream? Launching his own clothing line.
The t-shirts and hoodies will be printed with his favourite saying, “That’s Harsh!” – a favourite slogan that he often shares affectionately with others.
And as for ’Maxx’s Cans for Kindness’ – that’s not going anywhere.
“We really should add a tagline, ‘Kindness is Contagious,’” Leah remarked. “Because when people see what Maxx is doing, people want to be involved. It has been a wonderful accidental good news story – and we could not have dreamt of more success or a better outcome for all involved.”
