Sweet Third-Graders Ease Pain Of House Fire With Surprise Toy Drive For Classmate

A Tennessee third-grader couldn’t believe his eyes when he entered a classroom at Philadelphia Elementary School to find a huge pile of toys — all for him. Daniel Hunt had lost everything in a house fire earlier this month, so his classmates had held a secret toy drive for their pal.

Daniel was speechless for a second after the big reveal Friday. Then he said, “I love it! Everyone come here,” and he opened his arms as his classmates rushed him for a “large group hug,” school counselor Kelly Jones told ABC News.

“It was amazing to witness the excitement these third-grade kids had while sneaking in toys” for the drive, Jones said. “The entire week, they couldn’t love him enough. People were holding doors for him, getting his pencil ready for him each morning, taking his chair down from the desk for him to sit in and swarming him at recess.”

Daniel later told his grandmother Marsha Hunt that he was “happy crying.”

She said in a message on Facebook : “I love that his friends gave from their heart to this special little grandson. They were so excited to give! He has looked at each and every toy, big and small, and he loves them all. Thank you so much!!!!!!”