Little Boy Goes Door to Door Begging for Food for Sick Mom, Local Priest Follows His Trail — Story of the Day

Bobby started begging for food in Winterset, Iowa, but no one knew where he lived until Father Harris followed him to the outer limits of the small town. Then the priest discovered what was truly going on.

Almost everyone in Winerset, Iowa, knew each other. Father Harris had grown up in this small town, and it was a tight-knit community. That’s why he found it strange when some of his parishioners mentioned a little boy in the area.

“Yes, Father. A little boy named Bobby comes to my house every couple of days asking for food. He can’t be older than seven or eight years old,” Mrs. Santiago told him after Sunday mass. “Can we do something to help him?”

“He only asks you for food?” the priest asked.

“Yes, I always give him a little something. He said it was for his sick mom who couldn’t work anymore. But when I asked him where he lived, he said ‘There,’ and pointed in a random direction. I don’t think he has a home, but I can’t be sure,” Mrs. Santiago clarified.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mrs. Santiago. I’ll ask around and see if others know more about this boy,” Father Harris assured the older woman. But almost everyone in town said the same thing.

One older man, Mr. Jenkins, said that he had seen the boy sitting on the bus stop crying the other day. He tried to approach Bobby, but the kid ran off. He might not be comfortable around men, Father Harris thought.

But mostly, Bobby came to people’s houses, asking for food, then left immediately. Some folks confirmed that he got spooked whenever someone mentioned going with him to see his mother. So Father Harris decided to take action.

Eventually, he spotted the little boy walking around town with a bag full of food. The kid was headed to the outer limits of Winterset, which consisted of empty lands with no one around. Now the priest was worried.

Winterset might not be the coldest town in America, but it could get pretty nippy that time of the year. Father Harris decided to follow the boy as subtly as he could. At some point, he lost sight of him and almost lost hope of finding him that night until a dog barked.

The dog was right outside a tiny, rundown hut on an empty lot. It was...