Donations flood in for 7-year-old boy found trying to sell his teddy bear for food

Boy and his three brothers have been placed in the care of relatives and their parents charged with child endangerment

Seven-year-old boy said he had not eaten for days (Pixabay Creative Commons/Hans )

The story of a seven-year-old boy found trying to sell his teddy bear to buy food has touched hearts across America, prompting a flood of offers to help.

Individuals and businesses from around the country have been asking how they can make a donation, according to a spokesman for the Society of St Vincent de Paul at St Mary of the Assumption Church in Franklin, Ohio.

“I've had calls from Alaska, Arizona, North Carolina and Texas and many other states,” said Rocky Adams, adding that they already had received several hundred dollars to help the boy and his brothers.

Police in Franklin, between Cincinnati and Dayton, say Officer Steve Dunham found the boy in front of a drug store this month with the large stuffed animal and wearing no shoes.

“It broke my heart,” Mr Dunham told WLWT-TV .

Mr Dunham said he took the boy to a Subway restaurant to get something to eat. “(We) said a little prayer and ate dinner together,” he told the TV station.

Police say other officers went to the boy's home, where they found four older boys living amid rubbish and cat urine.

Child welfare officials have placed the children with other relatives. Their parents pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges and are scheduled for a pretrial hearing next month.

The police report said that the other children woke up the parents when officers arrived, and the parents said they didn't realise the 7-year-old wasn't home.

The parents created “a substantial risk of health and safety,” by neglecting cleanliness and having large amounts of bugs and spoiled food throughout the residence, among other things, the report stated.

Police Chief Russ Whitman said Monday that the actions of his officers weren't unique.

“Situations like this happen all across the nation every day where law enforcement goes above and beyond to help people in need,” said Mr Whitman. “It's just part of what we do.”