He is just a young boy, but he is looking out for those around him.

He is not old enough to get a job, but he is willing to give up his allowance to feed a homeless man on the side of the road.

Ayden Hobbs of Whitehouse has a heart of gold.

As Kelly Hobbs talked with her son Ayden about his upcoming birthday party, she asked him about an idea that he was quick to say yes to. The idea was to ask his friends and family to bring items for the food pantry in Troup when they came to his party rather than gifts for him.

When asked why it is important to help people in need, Ayden responded, "Because Jesus tells us to."

Ayden is very familiar with how the food pantry in Troup works. He has spent many hours there himself, along with his dad Blake, helping his "Gigi," LaDelle Tuley, and the other faithful volunteers stacking cans, emptying boxes and cleaning.

His mother Kelly says it is like a passion for him to help the hungry.

One day as they came to an intersection in Tyler, Ayden spotted a man standing at the corner with a sign. He asked his mother about it. What did that sign say and why was he just standing there? She explained that his sign was that he was homeless and wanted to work for food. Ayden insisted that they get the man some lunch and take it to him. They did.

A KLTV reporter turns the camera on Ayden Hobbs, a little boy with a big heart. Seeing the same man again some days later, Ayden offered his mom his own allowance money to pay for the meal. It was then that she knew the prayer she and her husband had prayed was alive and well in Ayden.

"When he was just a baby we said our hopes for him were not so much that he be the stron- gest or the smartest kid in the class, but that he be the most compassionate and caring," Kelly said. "Looks like God was listening and maybe already had that planned for Ayden."

When Ayden's birthday party rolled around, some 30 people attended, bringing 150 to 200 food items for the pantry. Everyone enjoyed the pirate games and birthday cake, as well as the feeling it gave them to see how happy their generosity made this little boy feel about what he had asked to be done.

At the urging of a friend, Kelly wrote a short and simple letter to KLTV about her son and his compassion for the hungry. In a very short period of time, she got a call from the president of the TV station asking for permission to come and film Ayden because they wanted to honor him as an Everyday Hero, part of a program the station does during its newscast.

"He told me that Ayden was the youngest ever to be chosen and the only one whose mom had written in," Kelly said. The piece will air soon on KLTV.

He's just a little boy, found most days playing with his brother Keaton, spending fun weekends with his Papa on the deer lease and looking forward to the next project he can take on that helps someone in need.

He's just a little boy, but he's extraordinary in his own way.