The Marseilles Food Pantry saw a record turnout during its annual tuna drive this weekend, as a local boy turned a birthday tradition into his biggest success yet.

Maximilian Claahsen, who’s turning eight in two weeks, saw exactly 1,350 cans of tuna get brought to him to stack up on Saturday morning.

Maximilian’s mother and pantry operator, Carolyn Claahsen, explained the tradition started years ago.

“When he was probably not even 2, he started stacking tuna cans here at the food pantry for fun,” she said. “We’d put them in a box on the shelf, and he would just stack them.”

That interest followed him everywhere - even to the grocery store.

“When we’d go to Kroger, he’d see the tuna on the shelves and start stacking them there too,” she said.

However, the drive itself began as a way to give back. Born premature, Maximilian’s family received support from others early on, so they wanted to make it a tradition to donate back for his birthday.

By age 6, the idea had become his own.

“The last three years, we’ve done it because he’s wanted to,” she said.

Even as a toddler, Maximilian imagined helping others as he’d ride around on his toy John Deere tractor while pretending to deliver the tuna to people in need.

“He’s always liked helping,” Carolyn Claahsen said. “And something about stacking those tuna cans certainly get him excited for it.”

Claahsen also said she was very thankful for the community’s support, noting that people came from across the Illinois Valley- including one supporter who traveled from Spring Valley to donate and also an anonymous local who contributed 175 cans.