upworthy

selflessness

On Halloween night, 8-year-old Jackson Champagne walked up to Leslie Hodges' front porch, only to find an empty candy bowl sitting on a small table. Hodges, who had left the bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters to help themselves, shared what transpired next in a now viral video on Facebook.

"Caught this on our Nest camera...." she wrote, "this has got to give hope to everyone that there are still amazing people in this world. What a selfless act from this little guy! ❤️ Kudos to his parents!!! #imnotcrying"


The video shows young Jackson noticing the empty bowl, then calling back to his aunt who was accompanying him, "There ain't no more candy!" But rather than just walk away, Jackson reached into his own trick-or-treat bag, pulled out two handfuls of candy, and deposited the in the empty bowl.

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"Aww, that was really nice, Jackson," his aunt told him.

As he hoisted his back back onto his shoulder, he said cheerfully, "There we go!" And just like that, a viral moment was born.

Hodges told The Washington Post that her husband had sent her the video, saying, "You won't believe this." She was blown away.

"He renewed the faith that there are still some good people out there," she said.

Jackson's father, Ty Champagne, told the Post that the video just shows who Jackson is. "He's always giving," he said. "He's a very sweet, kind, and soft-spoken kid. I've never seen a moment where he acts out negatively toward humanity."

Champagne said he asked Jackson why he had put his candy in the bowl, and he replied, "For the kids after me."

Well, there you go. So sweet, simple, and selfless. What a kid.

RELATED: This mom's viral story of strangers' kindness illustrates how it truly 'takes a village.'

According to the Post, the Hodgeses and Champagnes connected after the video went viral and have plans to get together over the weekend. Hodges and her husband want to meet Jackson in person and give him a Target gift card as a thank you for his kind deed.

I think we'd all like to thank Jackson for keeping our faith in humanity in tact for one more day. Well done, kiddo.