When six-year-old Kobe Paiva of Fall River woke up on Saturday morning, I don't think he was ready for the amount of generosity that was heading his way.

On December 19, Paiva opened his front door around 8 a.m. all bundled up and ready to take on the day. He had planned the homeless toiletry drive for several weeks and it was time to put his hard work to the test.

Little Paiva had one goal in mind: to help the local homeless shelters of Fall River to the best of his ability.

Originally, I had posted his mission up on Fun107.com to help bring some attraction to his toiletry drive, but I had one more Hail Mary in play to get him the spotlight he needed. I showed up at his house around 9 a.m. and decided to spread his message to as many people on the SouthCoast as humanly possible, and to both of our surprise, Paiva's kind and meaningful words were heard by over 10,000 people. Now that's something to hang your hat on.

A couple of hours later, Paiva's mother Maritza Lima reached out to inform me that the SouthCoast had come through and her son's mission to help those in need was well underway.

"As a child, I had so many examples of what I didn't want to be as a parent," Lima told Fun 107. "I'm learning and growing myself every day, but moments like this are what I live for."

Photo Courtesy of Maritza Lima
Photo Courtesy of Maritza Lima
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Paiva's tireless effort to make sure that the homeless community here on the SouthCoast was helped to the best of his ability with toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, etc. and even caught the attention of one of his close friends.

"His friend's mom actually reached out saying she showed her son who said he was so proud and happy for Kobe and asked his mom to ask me if Kobe did it again if he could help," Lima said. "Kobe said yes and I'm sure this won't be the last event. He is inspiring his friends and that makes me even prouder."

Besides toiletries, Paiva also received $140 in cash donations, which he spent at a local dollar store to add to his existing collection of donated items.

Photo Courtesy of Maritza Lima
Photo Courtesy of Maritza Lima
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As a witness to this young man's contribution to his community, I can truly say from the bottom of my heart how proud I am of him. To be so young, yet so selfless is a gift and Paiva is one special kid. To put others first around the holidays is one of the kindest gestures you can contribute and I am so glad I got to meet this thoughtful young man.

This is just the beginning for Paiva; he tells me that he's ready to give back once more and then again after that. His perseverance to help out his own community is something we can all learn from.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Kobe, thanks for shining bright during a dark time.

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