A high school senior in Needham, Massachusetts, spent part of the Memorial Day weekend trying to raise money to help veterans.
"It means everything to me," said Ryan Torrisi. "There's nothing I can do to give back to the men and women who lost their lives for thsi country, if I can help any amount of veterans still with us, that means something to me."
Torrisi took to social media, posting a message in the "Be Kind Needham" Facebook group and on the town's local group pages, asking for donations to buy toiletry kits to donate to the veterans at the VA Hospital in West Roxbury.
Within just a few hours, he says he met his goal of 50 kits and now plans to try to donate even more.
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"I think it says a lot about how people in the community feel about helping others," he said. "I think Needham's a really tight knit community and I think there are very few people at least that I know that wouldn't go out of their way to help others."
Torrisi says this is the second year that he's donated the kits, but in the past he's also dropped off gift bags at the medical center for the holidays for veterans.
"I think going to the VA has made me realize how lucky I am that all these people have served and risked their lives for me that I can be free," he said.
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The Needham High student says it all started because he wanted to help people during the coronavirus pandemic and being as close as he is to his grandfathers, who both served in the Army, he knew eight away that he wanted to help military service members and veterans.
"Handing them the gift bags or the Halloween candy and just seeing a smile on their face because that's really why I organize these and I think that's the goal," he said. "That's my goal. To see a smile on their face."
Even though Torrisi will be heading off to Boston College, he says he won't be far and he hopes to keep this going in the future.
"There's nothing I can do to repay them for their efforts but I can try my best," he said.
Although Torrisi has already met his goal, he says he plans to continue collecting donations through June 7.
