Ohio boy found trying to sell teddy bear for food

FRANKLIN, OH -- Most children would hate to give up their toys, but for one boy, trading his teddy bear was his only chance at having a meal.

A 7-year-old boy stood outside of a drugstore last weekend in hopes of selling his teddy bear.

"It broke my heart," said Steve Durham, the police officer who had found the boy. "He told me he was trying to sell his stuffed animal to get money for food because he hadn't eaten in several days."

After taking the boy to Subway for a meal, the officer visited the boy's home to find that he and his four brothers had been living in a house infested with bugs, urine and spoiled food.

The child's parents have been charged with 10 counts of child endangerment and are unable to talk to their son or their four other children.

The children now live with their grandmother along with three of her other grandchildren.

A local Walmart has stepped up to help.

All seven kids were allowed to shop till they dropped Wednesday afternoon inside the Walmart.

Jeremy Safranic spoke to his store manager at the Franklin Walmart and asked if there was anything they could do for this family.

"We put an associate with each child and there was seven of them," he said.

The kids grabbed clothes, shoes and hats.

"We just took care of them because Franklin is our, Walmart's in Franklin, and that's our city. So we wanted to take care of our people," Safranic said.

While the kids were shopping, Safranic walked around with grandma, who now has custody.

"She just stated that it was unbelievable that somebody and some company would do something like this for people they don't know," he said.

And by the time they were ready to go, he said, "She was just bawling her eyes out thanking us."

"Sam Walton started this company taking care of people and that's what we do," said Safranic. "Without Walmart there's nothing I could have done personally but my company had my back and that's what they did. I asked a question and they said no hesitation, do it."

WKEF reports that the parents are due in court next month.