11-year-old boy filling backpacks to give to the homeless

BISMARCK, N.D. — An 11-year-old Bismarck boy is gathering donations to help fill backpacks with items like water bottles and hand warmers to give to the homeless.

Fifth-grader Dylan Joritz has been collecting donations from around the community and handing out the backpacks to those who visit a local soup kitchen, KXMB-TV reported. So far, Joritz said he’s donated seven backpacks.

Joritz said he stuffed the backpacks with various items including razors, razor blades, deodorants and hand warmers.

“In North Dakota, it gets very cold out,” Joritz said.

Aasta Stute, who is a part of the Christmas committee at the Department of Commerce, said when she heard about Joritz’s efforts, it made her want to be a “better person and figure out what I can do, because it’s the simplest things like that that make the biggest impacts.” The department was one of the places Joritz went to ask for contributions.

“You’re in your warm bed, you get up, you take a shower, you wash your hair, you do all the things that you don’t even think about and there are people that wake up and they don’t have those things,” Stute said.

Brandon Schmidt, a homeless man in Bismarck, said he was relieved and joyful to receive one of backpacks.