An eight-year-old boy from Maryland has raised more than $50,000 and has helped nearly 3,000 homeless veterans over the past four years by making “hero bags.”
Tyler Stallings began helping those less fortunate when he was four years old after learning that some veterans are homeless. Veterans are part of Stallings’ extended family, including his grandfather, uncle, and father, so they had a special place in his heart as heroes, KKTV reported.
“I wanted to do something nice for as many veterans in need as I could because they deserve it!” wrote Tyler on his GoFundMe page.
He wanted to do something to help them as quickly as he could, so he asked his mother if he could build homes for the veterans. Because he was too young to start building houses, he started helping in a more age-appropriate way by creating “hero bags.”
The “hero bags” would often be packed with items such as toiletries, clothing items, and other accessories along with thank you cards.
Throughout the four years Tyler has been helping veterans, he has donated nearly 3,000 “hero bags,” his mother, Andrea Blackstone, told CNN.
He has also raised more than $50,000 in donations.
“Anything people can do to help them with items on their wish lists, that’s where people like Tyler come in,” Blackstone said. “For Tyler, being a part of that community as a superhero has been about raising awareness.”