Tyler Stallings has been helping homeless veterans with his ‘hero bags‘ since he was only 4-years-old.
Veterans have always been a part of the boy’s extended family. For him, veterans are the real heroes. That’s why, when Tyler found out that some of them are homeless, he couldn’t believe it.
How would the world leave such heroic people without homes?
This brave child knew he had to do something right away. Of course, the first person he reached out to was his mommy. Tyler asked her if he could build houses for the homeless veterans. Although he was willing to do anything to help them, at such a young age, he wasn’t in the best position to start building homes.
This didn’t stop the courageous boy from figuring out a way to help.
So, he began making what he calls ‘hero bags‘.
Tyler shares on his GoFundMe page:
“Doing something special for veterans began after I started asking my mom why some veterans are homeless. After talking to my mom, I really wanted to help build homes for veterans but together we decided on a more realistic goal. We came up with an idea to make hygiene and grooming kits with thank you cards to give to veterans in need. I call them Hero Bags!”
For the wintertime, Tyler prepares the bags with warm clothes and grooming materials. He packs them with a winter hat, a pair of gloves, a sweater, a cozy blanket, a lip balm, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and more.
It’s been four years since this young spirited child has been helping homeless veterans. According to his mother, Andrea Blackstone, for those four years, he has already donated about 3,000 hero bags. What is more, Tyler has also raised more than $50,000. During an interview for CNN, Andrea says:
“He buys a lot of merchandise from donations. We go now all the time.”
Tyler is the superhero those people need.
As well as working with organizations that help homeless veterans, the 8-year-old has also given his hero bags to the vets himself. His amazingly supportive mother adds:
“Anything people can do to help them with items on their wish lists, that’s where people like Tyler come in. For Tyler, being a part of that community as a superhero has been about raising awareness.”
When Tyler was 5, he recorded a sweet video where he invites others to donate and help the veterans in need.
