"I got a message from a friend of mine saying I had been nominated and I said, 'Um, what for?' I was sort of in disbelief about the whole thing."
He used the nomination opportunity to thank friends and family who helped him on his mission. "There's so many people I have to thank for this, and they know who they are... this is something I'll never forget."
But it was a nomination well-deserved. Mr Pearson goes out of his way to fill the grumbling tummies of hungry children in low decile schools every week so they have every opportunity to learn.
"The fuller the stomach the more they learn - I hope," he laughed.
Mr Pearson visited Merivale School often and principal Jan Tinetti said she could not have thought of a better person to receive the nomination.
"The great thing about Stephen is that he quietly goes under the radar, he doesn't do it for the accolades, he does it because he wants to make a difference," Mrs Tinetti said.
"But you can't not notice people like Stephen, because they do make such a big difference... We are just so grateful for the work that he does."
Mr Pearson said the past couple of weeks had been quiet with donations but the support was still there.
"Kids love Kai keeps me going and gives me the energy to keep going."
The nominee with the most likes and shares will be publicly profiled by Genesis Energy to raise awareness of their work.
