‘Missing’ boy is found raising money for mom’s secret Christmas gift

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Oklahoma City police were touched when they found that a “missing” boy had actually been collecting cans to get money to buy his mother a Christmas present.

Sophia Reed had just used the last of her money to move her family to Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, that meant there wasn’t any money left for Christmas.

“What little Christmas money we had you know to pay my security deposit for here,” Reed said.

The kids had a plan

But what Reed didn’t know was that her kids saw her struggle and wanted to help. Her daughter, Deneisha, and her son, Diauris, decided that collecting cans was the way to go.

So, Diauris snuck out to do just that.

But their mom panicked when she couldn’t find Diauris and called the police to find her missing boy.

“I was afraid he was going to get in trouble,” Deneisha said.”I was very afraid he was going to get in trouble. I just didn’t want to say anything because it would blow the whole thing.”

But when Diauris was stopped by officers, he came home.

“I just wanted to do something for my mama,” Diauris said.

The police step in

But that’s not the end of the story. Officer Roland Russell was so touched by the kids’ efforts that he invited others to meet the family. Together, the officers raised $800 for Christmas and housewarming gifts.

“There was so many knocks on my door, everybody just was knocking, just was knocking, and every time I opened my door it was the police, the police,” Reed said.

“Most of the time when I see the police it’s like, bad stuff,” Diauris said. “Up here I guess it’s changed, good.”

The Reed family hopes to pay that kindness forward next year once they are settled into the city and find work.