A kind-hearted 7-year-old boy from Houston, Texas, has made local news after he donated his birthday money to help the homeless over Thanksgiving.
Dylan Virtudazo, who is from the city, had his birthday party cancelled due to the pandemic and received some cash instead. Cash that he was told he could spend any way he so wished. Instead of buying the latest computer game or a whole load of candy, he decided that there were others who needed it more, and with a little extra-help in the form of donations from teachers, he was able to give hurricane protection supplies to 50 homeless people.
The 'blessings bags' contain face masks, hand sanitizer, bar soap, razors, water, lotion, a snack and a note that reads, "You matter, God Bless!"
Dylan and his family then travelled to the homeless shelter on Thanksgiving to distribute the bags. Those receiving them were said to be extraordinarily grateful.
"I just wanted to help a lot of people. I just see homeless people on the street, it makes me sad because I wonder what happened. We [gave away] all 50 bags. We wish we brought a lot more."
Dylan's mother says he has always been kind-hearted and that he always makes sure he shares his candy with his siblings and that he will always give change to a homeless person if he passes them in the street.
Houston does indeed have a very serious homelessness problem. It is believed that around 4,000 people are homeless in the city at any one time and that most have ended up on the streets as a result of economic crisis.
Homeless people have been particularly vulnerable during the pandemic as they have been unable to 'stay at home' or avoid the places they must congregate to get food. Many homeless shelters simply are not big enough to maintain social-distancing and those that panhandle for change on the streets have lost income due to the dramatic fall in street-traffic.
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