Fishers boy hopes to give the homeless 3,000 blessing bags
FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) – A 10-year-old boy from Fishers is on a mission to help the homeless across Indiana. Last week, Maddox O’Connor asked police to help hand out 200 blessing bags. Now, he has an even bigger goal of donating 3,000 bags full of food, hygiene products and a handwritten note to people in need, by the end of the year.
It turns out Maddox has been on this mission for the last few years and the most inspiring part is that his compassion was born from his own health struggles.
When you step into 10-year-old Maddox O’Connor’s living room, it looks like a blessing bag assembly line. He finishes each bag at the kitchen table, with a handwritten note.
“Makes them think they are really loved,” said Maddox. The notes typically say “You are so loved by Jesus and Maddox’s Mission.”
It’s a mission to make sure every person without a home or basic needs, has some help.
“It is the best thing I have ever done,” said Maddox. “It just makes me happy.”
He is simply happy to help. It has been his favorite pastime for the last few years. This all started when Maddox was 6-years-old and he had to go to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health often.
“He is a child who happens to have a fatal illness, but he is not a fatal illness. And I think that kind of pulled on his heart because he knows what it is like to struggle for even the basic things,” said Maddox’s mom, Shawn O’Connor.
Maddox suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy called mitochondrial disease. He was going to treatment at Riley Hospital for Children when he started giving some homeless people nearby, his lunch.
“He said ‘thank you’ and I said ‘God bless.’ And that’s how it all started,” said Maddox.
“He looked at me and said ‘I know what it is like to live in a world that I didn’t ask to live in.’ They just need love,” said Shawn.
It’s a special kind of love that sparked a passion and motivated Maddox’s Mission.
Initially, Maddox wanted to make a million bags, but the family settled on a goal of 500 bags every three months. Now, he hands them out to homeless camps and shelters on Thursdays. Maddox even asked the Fishers Police Department to get involved.
“If they see someone in need, they can hand them out,” said Maddox.
So far this year, he has given away 800 or 900 bags. The 2021 goal is 3,000.
“He has done more to show love and compassion and kindness in his little 10 years of life than most people can in an entire lifetime,” said Shawn.
“They can make a difference in the world,” said Maddox. “They are loved and they can really make a difference in the world.”
Maddox has a Facebook page and an Amazon Wish List where people can donate goods there for the blessing bags. He also needs help filling the bags, so a group of volunteers gets together at a local church every few months and people are welcome to join in. Volunteers can contact Shawn here.