Kentucky man brings 20,000 presents to children affected by recent storms

One veteran wanted to give a few dozen presents to cheer up young storm victims. But with some help from the internet, he’s brought back Christmas for thousands of children.

Per an ABC News report, retired Marine Shawn Triplett brought the holiday spirit back to his hometown of Mayfield, Kentucky in the aftermath of devastating tornadoes.

Triplett was inspired in the first place by what a little boy told his mother at a storm shelter. "I lost my Christmas" is all it took to compel Shawn to try and make things right again.

He pitched a modest goal of 20 to 30 presents, asking friends and family for help. But Triplett’s effort went viral.

"It's really been pretty cool, because I don't really I don't speak Japanese or French, so I've had to go use Google Translate to reply back to people and just thank them," he says.

He raised roughly $98,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. A team of volunteers worked round the clock to wrap thousands of them in a matter of days. ABC says Shawn Triplett and those who helped him have sent out more than 20,000 toys.

Beyond Triplett, separate relief efforts were also underway. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell donated over 10,000 pillows in time for Christmas eve.

Others working for the holiday season weren’t as lucky. Employees at a Mayfield candle factory stayed to work to fill Christmas orders during the night of a devastating tornado. They were in the storm’s path and eight people died when the twister demolished the facility.