The 13-year-old Georgia boy's charity provides comfort to kids during coronavirus siege.
Sometimes, as Charlie Brown's friend Linus certainly knows, what one really needs is a warm, soft blanket. In Georgia, 13-year-old C.J. Matthews dispenses just that, through his charity Blankies 4 My Buddies. The boy annually hosts a December flag football game he dubbed The Giving Bowl, which raises funds for his organization.
The coronavirus pandemic put a stop to this year's event, but nothing has stopped his quest to comfort children who are struggling.
"I know there's a lot of kids in the world, and a lot of kids in my community, who are on the streets or in shelter homes, not getting enough food to eat or are lonely," he told CBS News.
A drive-thru donation event recently gathered 150 blankets, and cash donations fund his efforts to dispense them.
"He has a heart of gold. He always has," said his mother, Kristen Wright-Matthews. "He does it with open arms. He has really embraced what I think is his purpose in life."
As he readies to hand out blankets this winter, Matthews said he hopes children will realize that even in these troubled times, compassion and comfort come in many forms.
"It's gonna feel really good to me because I'm helping another soul, another soul to be happy in life," he said.
"I want them to know that comfort and kindness is anything anyone can do at any time or any place."
His mother has established a GoFundMe page to help her son's efforts.
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