San Mateo brothers raise hundreds of dollars selling toys for Maui wildfire victims

Tara Campbell Image
Monday, September 4, 2023
Bay Area brothers raise hundreds of dollars for Maui wildfire victims
Two young brothers in San Mateo are determined to keep the people of Maui top of mind, showing their support by selling their toys to raise money.

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- Two young brothers in San Mateo are determined to keep the people of Maui top of mind, showing their support Saturday by selling their toys to raise money for those impacted by the wildfires.

"My mom showed me videos of Lahaina burning down, and it's really sad. I felt bad for the people. They're still really struggling right now and so they really need the money," said 13-year-old Leonardo Felice, while sorting through books alongside his 10-year-old brother Nicolo.

"We sold mainly toys. My parents had a little computer parts too, and we made about over $550," said Leonardo, noting he was surprised the by the neighborhood showing.

"I wasn't expecting a lot of people because it's like a really quiet neighborhood and not a lot of people come around. So, I was really surprised just to see a lot of people come over and we received a lot of money for Lahaina," Leonardo said.

MORE: Tubbs Wildfire survivor helping Maui victims with insurance claims

The smiles on both boys faces are a clear indicator -- they are proud of their work.

"We thought about it, and then we decide like we should do it. Because if we do it, we can help out with the people who actually need it," said Nicolo, admitting it wasn't easy deciding what toys to let go. "It was hard to tell which ones I want to keep it, which ones I didn't want to."

Hard maybe, but worth it, according to the brothers.

"It's sort of Lilo and Stitch," said Nicolo. That's when he says, "no one gets left behind."

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