CNN
Of course, it’s terrible when anyone becomes homeless. However, its particularly heartbreaking to see a veteran, someone who served our country, alone and without a roof over their head. Thankfully, there are people like this incredible eight-year-old boy who are working to help these veterans to make it off the streets!
Superhero In The Making
Eight-year-old Tyler Stallings, from Maryland, did not become a one-of-a-kind child on his own. He also has his mother, Andrea Blackstone, to thank for his magnificent spirit. As Blackstone explained to the local media, at the age of just four, Stallings learned about homeless veterans after watching a video with his mother. As she recalled, the young boy felt upset that they “couldn’t find a place to stay.”
“He asked me, ‘If they’re heroes why should they be on the street?’” Blackstone recalled, holding back tears as she did. Soon enough, Stallings started working on a plan to help homeless veterans. On a whim, Blackstone asked Gov. Larry Hogan if he would help. Believe it or not, Hogan awarded the young boy a $100 grant! What happened next was truly amazing…
Hero Bags
Of course, $100 wasn’t exactly enough to set up apartments for homeless veterans. “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 boy explained. “Hero Bags,” as the family calls them, include clothes, different snacks, toiletries like toothbrush and soap, hand sanitizer, and other personal items. With his $100 grant, as well as his own funds, Stallings made dozens of bags and hand-delivered them to homeless veterans in need.
Afterward, Stallings and his mother knew they were on to something. So, they set up a GoFundMe to make more HeroBags. There, they raised over $50,000! “At first, it was hard for people to take a four-year-old seriously. 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,” Stallings’ mom confessed.
Now, four years have passed since Stallings started helping, and he hasn’t stopped since!
Turning Into Something Bigger
Many children would feel satisfied with raising $100 for homeless veterans, let alone $50,000. However, Tyler Stallings hasn’t stopped helping those who protected us in four years! “It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but it turned into an all the time event,” his mother said.
At the age of five, Stallings joined the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training. A little over a year, he started training other children to help veterans in need! It’s incredible how this eight-year-old teaches people much older than himself about how veterans struggle with their life after they return home.
In 2018 alone, more than 553,000 people reported homeless in the United States, nearly 12,000 of those being homeless veterans. While 65% percent live in shelters, 35% have to stay in the streets even during the coldest days of winter. Hopefully, children like Tyler Stallings and adults like his mom can inspire others to donate and help spread awareness about the issue.
