8-Year-Old Boy Gives a Homeless Woman His Birthday Money. His Heartfelt Reason Goes Viral (Exclusive)

After a Chicago boy gave his birthday money to a stranger in need, a video of the moment caught fire online and launched a growing effort to help others

NEED TO KNOW

• Mateo had just turned 8 when he spotted a woman selling candy on the side of the road
• Instead of heading to Walmart like he planned, he gave her $23 of his birthday money — and told his mom it was so she could buy her baby milk
• Daniela Santos filmed the moment and posted it to TikTok, and within days, the video went viral, and strangers began asking how they could help

Mateo only wanted to go to Walmart. Instead, his $23 birthday outing turned into a viral act of kindness — one captured on TikTok that’s now inspiring millions.

The 8-year-old from the Chicago area had brought his birthday money with him that morning, but when he spotted a woman on the street selling candy, he had a different idea. 

“That day we actually went for breakfast, and then he brought his birthday money with him, and he wanted to go to Walmart,” his mom, Daniela Santos, tells PEOPLE.

As they pulled up to a stoplight, Mateo noticed the woman and asked if he could buy something from her. Santos says her son’s impulse to help people in need is nothing new. “There’s been other times where they're at the light and he’s like, ‘Mommy, can we please give them the money?’ And I'm like, ‘Honey, I never carry cash with me. I'm so sorry, baby,’ ” she shares.

This time, he had cash in hand and a mission in his heart. As the woman offered her candy for $3, Mateo reached for more than just spare change. “I see him open up his little box, and he's counting the money. He pulls out a $20 bill, and I'm like, honey, it's $3, not $23,” Santos shares.

Santos, moved by the moment, took out her phone and started recording. She never imagined that a short, sincere video of her son’s kind act would be seen by millions. “That's when he was like, ‘Mommy, but I want to give it to her,’” she says. “He ended up giving her $23, and when I asked why, he told me, ‘so she can buy her baby baby milk.’ ”

She posted the clip to TikTok later that day, hoping to lift people’s spirits, and the response was overwhelming. “Honestly, I did not expect for it to go this viral,” Santos notes. “My intention of posting that was just because there was so much negativity going around the world, and I just wanted to share it.”

The video, which shows Mateo handing over his birthday money and smiling warmly at the woman, quickly racked up millions of views and thousands of heartfelt comments. “I just wanted other people to feel the same joy and emotion and hope that I did,” she says.

The spontaneous act and the video that captured it struck a chord far beyond their Chicago neighborhood. Viewers across the country left messages not just praising Mateo, but celebrating the values his mother had clearly passed on. 

“People have messaged me and said such amazing things about Mateo, and they don't know him,” Santos says. “A lot of people have said, ‘It starts from the home, you’ve been doing such a good job, being an amazing mom.’ ”

Mateo’s natural generosity wasn’t just a one-time moment — it’s who he is, Santos explains. “Always be patient with others. Always share stuff with people,” she says of the values she teaches at home. “The biggest one is always be kind and treat others like you want to be treated.”

She’s proud to see those lessons take root. “His teacher sent me a message letting me know how Mateo was very sweet to kids with special needs, and there was one kiddo that called him his best friend,” she says.

Soon after the video gained traction, the praise turned into something more. “People were messaging me asking for my CashApp because they wanted to give him birthday gifts,” Santos shares. “We were reading the comments together, and that’s when he said, ‘Mom, I prefer for them to give me the money so I can keep donating it to people that need more help than us.’ ”

That single comment became the spark for something much bigger. With her son’s blessing, Santos launched a GoFundMe to turn Mateo’s birthday wish into an ongoing mission.

“All the donations, 100%, will go to helping others in need,” she explains. “If we get connected with these organizations, we do want to work with them. But also, every time we're at stoplights, Mateo wants to buy food for people, give them money, buy them clothing.”

Mateo already has a list of ideas for how to help. “Buy food for them,” he says. “Buy clothing for them, buy them a house.”

His heart, his mom says, is shaped by both experience and environment. “I work with kids with special needs, so he also sees how everyone else is different,” Santos says. “I always emphasize that you’re different than other kids, always treat them how you would like to be treated.”

She and Mateo continue to read the TikTok comments together, often moved to tears. “We were actually looking at the comments, and I was crying,” she says. “He just finds them so sweet.”

One comment, in particular, stood out. “Someone said, ‘Send us your CashApp, we want to double the amount, we want to give him his money back,’ ” Santos recalls. “And Mateo was like, ‘But why do they want to give me my money back? I just gave it to her.’ Then he said, ‘But if they gave me my money back, can I just use it so I can give it to more people?’ ”

That moment sealed it. Mateo’s act of generosity wasn’t just touching. It was contagious.

Asked what advice he’d give to other kids who want to help, Mateo keeps it simple. “Teach them,” he says. “You want to show them how you share so they can do the same thing,” his mom affirms. 

Santos says the whole experience has been life-changing, both for her and for how others view her son. “I just feel like we’re so overwhelmed — but with so much love and so much happiness,” she tells PEOPLE. “We all post videos on TikTok because we've been doing content together, but I feel like, with my kiddo, he’s like a mini influencer. He’s influencing others to do acts of kindness.”

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She also reflects on how parenting Mateo has shifted her perspective. “I grew up hearing all the time from my mom, ‘Don’t give people money because you don’t know what they can use it for,’ ” she says. “But now, this act of kindness… something so tiny changed our lives forever.”

Their journey continues to grow as more people connect with their message. What started as a TikTok video is now a platform for change, as organizations reach out and opportunities unfold.

“We're looking forward to connecting with people and expanding and just doing a little bit more of that,” Santos says. She insists the real gift isn’t viral fame — it's the love she feels watching her son lead with his heart.

“He tells me how much he loves me at the most random times ever,” she says with a smile. “He just has a big heart. I know our mission is just starting, and I know that bigger things are coming.”

“I have him in my life to teach me a lot of lessons, and this one has been one of the biggest lessons ever,” she notes. “I'm just so grateful for him. And I know Mateo’s work isn’t done here. There’s so much more to be done.”