FISHERS, Ind. — You probably remember the young Fishers girl we featured recently, handing out blankets to Hoosiers experiencing homelessness.
It turns out Fallon Wetherill's effort to help others has really exploded.
At just 5 years old, Fallon is a lot of things. She's strong, kind and courageous, and she's taking her family on a journey they never saw coming.
When 13News visited the Wetherill family Wednesday, her mom, Natisha, asked Fallon to tell us what she wanted to do, what she wanted to see happen.
"To pass out blankets to people who were cold," she said. "I want to pray for the people who are cold, who may not have a roof or heat."
Fallon calls her project "Warm Up with the Wetherills."
After Fallon and her parents put out a call for help on social media, they collected 174 blankets. Her first delivery sent 101 of them to Wheeler Mission.
Fallon got the idea from story on 13News about Jackson Ptacek, a 5-year-old who collected hundreds of stuffed animals for firefighters and other organizations to give to kids who need them most.
"She continued to say, 'I want to do something, I want to do something,'" her mom said. "We were praying for these people, and she said, 'Let's do something more than pray.'"
That's when they launched the blanket collection effort.
"I even shared with her, 'Let's make a goal for 20 blankets' and she said, 'No, I'm going for 100,'" her mother recalled.
And they already exceeded that goal with 250 blankets — and donations continue to come in.
So far, they've been donated to three charities, including a local shelter called Family Promise.
"We are constantly having to resupply the apartments with the blankets," said donations coordinator Deborah Means. "This was an absolute gift being able to receive these blankets."
Fallon's dad, Clint, says the shelters are not the only ones receiving a blessing.
"It's taught us a lot of lessons, how just a small act like this can make such a huge impact," he said
Fallon has no plans to slow down. She said she hopes her story inspires others to do their part to make the community better by adopting her approach.
"Make people happy by being kind," she said.
If you'd like to help Fallon's cause, you can order through this Amazon link and select Fallon's address for shipping. Or you can buy the blanket and drop it off at Zuluscape at 11521 Fishers Drive, Fishers, IN 46038.