Tyler Stallings was only 4 years old when he started raising money to help homeless veterans.
His proud mom, Andrea Blackstone, told Good Morning America that her son felt compelled to help veterans in need.
When Tyler was 4, Blackstone had shown him some videos about veterans to let him know what some of their relatives had done when they enlisted in the military. Then they stumbled upon a video that focused on homeless veterans.
“He saw videos of veterans holding signs to no one responding to their cry for help and he thought this isn’t right. He didn’t like it,” Blackstone explained. “He asked me, ‘If they’re heroes why should they be on the street?”
Tyler initially wanted to construct houses for homeless vets by buying supplies from a hardware store. His mother contacted Gov. Larry Hogan, who gave him $100.
That donation increased into a mission that the young boy has carried on for years. Tyler joined the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training and also became an advocate to help raise awareness about veterans struggling with homelessness after the completion of their service.
“It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but it turned into an all the time event,” Blackstone said to Good Morning America.
Tyler then came up with ‘Hero Bags’ which contain bath products, clothes, bedding and food, which he could give to veterans in need.
In an interview with GoFundMe, Tyler, now 8, said: “When my mom said we couldn’t build homes for the veterans, I came up with an idea where we could give them Hero Bags.
“The bags have clothes, shoes, snacks, toiletries, soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion, shaving gel, hand sanitizer — all the regular things people need.”
Tyler has helped to raise over $50K to help homeless vets!
“At first, it was hard for people to take a four-year-old seriously,” Blackstone said in GoFundMe. “It took me a while to find a shelter that would let him come in and help. But when shelters like MCVET finally did, they loved having him there.
“It’s nice to have a child in an environment like that,” she added. “We would take them care packages with toiletries and grooming products to thank people for their service, and they would take whatever they needed.”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section! SHARE this with your friends and family and don’t forget to FOLLOW our page for more stories!
Replaced!