Part of “fitting in” at school often means wearing the latest trends, an expectation that Tennessee student Michael Todd knows all too well.
Unfortunately, his mother couldn’t afford to continue buying new clothes because of how fast he was growing.
Sadly still, students at MLK College Preparatory High School bullied him for wearing the same clothes every day.
“I really don’t have clothes at home. My mom can’t buy clothes for me because I’m growing too fast,” Todd explained to Fox 19. “I’ve been bullied my entire life.”
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But it wasn’t just Todd who was feeling the effects of this unfair treatment from his bullies.
When peers and high school football players Kristopher Graham and Antwan Garrett saw what was happening, they just knew they had to step in and help.
“When I saw people laugh and bully him, I felt like I needed to do something,” Graham told the local broadcast station.
Instead of going out and buying new clothes, the athletes took to their own closets, picking out items just for their down-and-out friend.
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In a touching video, Graham and Garrett can be seen giving Todd bags of clothes — new shoes, shirts, shorts and more.
“He wasn’t smiling or anything, and I was like, ‘I think this is going to make you smile,'” Graham explained of the moment they surprised him during third period. “I told him, ‘We’re in the same third period and I apologize for laughing at you and I want to give something to you to make it up.'”
According to Fox, Todd had been bullied for three weeks straight before the good deed happened.
“The best day of my entire life, basically,” Todd said. “I was very happy. Shocked completely.”
“You guys are the best guys of my entire life,” the high school student can be heard saying to his two new friends.
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The act of kindness isn’t going unnoticed, either.
Graham and Garrett’s big hearts have inspired other people in the U.S. to give back to Todd.
The college prep school has been accepting clothing and monetary donations that will go on to help other students in need, including Todd.
One person took to Twitter to express how important these acts of kindness are, writing: “Best thing is, they all will pay it forward! When the time comes to help someone else, none of them will second guess their ability to uplift another human with a small act of kindness!”
“Being kind to someone costs us nothing,” another wrote, while one Twitter user responded: “Our world is better for having them. That’s what America is all about.”
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