VIDEO — ‘Faith in Humanity Restored’: $37K Raised for Bullied Texas Boy Who Told Neighbor, ‘I Need Friends’

Community members stepped up in a big way to help a bullied boy who was looking for friends in Amarillo, Texas, this week.

When Shayden Walker walked up to his neighbor’s porch and rang the doorbell, Brennan Ray answered, and it was not long before the child poured his heart out to him, the New York Post reported Friday.

Neighbors raise $37K for bullied boy who knocked on their door saying, ‘I need some friends, like, really bad’ https://t.co/UuxCfwWi9L pic.twitter.com/pvX20uvnw7

— New York Post (@nypost) July 8, 2023

“Hi. I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around like, 11 or 12, maybe, because I need some friends. Like, really bad,” Walker told him.

Ray directed his attention to a nearby home where some other children live, but Walker told him, “Well, umm, they’re not my friends anymore because they’re bullies to me.”

When he asked if Ray had any children, the man told him he has a toddler. The news put a smile on Walker’s face, and he said, “That’s great. I actually … I love two-year-olds, to be honest. They’re just the most cutest things I’ve ever known.”

He also explained he “used to have” a two-year-old sister. Ray eventually told the boy he will say hello to him when he sees him around in the future:

“Its takes 2 seconds to make someones day, you never know what people are going through until you get a chance to talk to them. This young man is well mannered, kind, and brave,” Ray said in the caption of his TikTok video.

Following the touching encounter, he and his wife, Angel, decided to create a GoFundMe page to help him make some friends, and it raised $37,257.

“We are raising money to help buy him a gaming system, school clothes and hopefully some amusement park tickets and anything else he may want or need,” the page said, adding it was also to raise awareness about bullying — which is a hurtful experience many children endure — and suicide prevention.

Social media users shared their thoughts on the story, one person writing, “And my faith in humanity is restored once again.”

“What a sweet boy, hoping for good friends to find him,” another commented.