A 12-year-old boy got an overwhelming surprise recently, when a request for simple junk mail ended with an amazing gesture from people all over the world.
Salt Lake City-based postman Ron Lynch was moved when, one day, young Mathew Flores asked him if he could bring him some junk mail to read. When he asked why Mathew was making such an unusual request, the boy told him that it was the only material that was available to him.
While Ron pointed out that there was a library nearby that the avid reader could go to, Mathew responded that his family didn’t have a car, and they couldn’t afford the bus.
Touched by the exchange, Ron took to Facebook to share the story and appeal for help to make Mathew’s dreams come true. He went on to ask his Facebook friends if they could send on any books so that he could gift them to Mathew.
“Most kids his age want electronics! It’s great to see his desire, and you should have seen him beam when I said I could help! He’s counting on me, so I’m counting on you!” wrote Ron.
While he was expecting no more than 50 or 60 books, Ron was completely taken aback when his request went viral, and Mathew began receiving books from as far away as Australia and India.
So far, Mathew has been gifted with hundreds of books, and he told local media that he is over the moon.
“They said, ‘These books are for you’. I thought they were mistaken, but they were for me,” he said, adding that he intends to read every last one.
