Single mom couldn't afford new basketball hoop for her 11-year-old—stranger's unexpected gift at their doorstep left her in tears

When the mom read the note with the gift, she started believing in humanity all over again.

PUBLISHED AUG 1, 2025

(L) Little boy smiling with basketball in hand. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images| xavierarnau), (R) Woman getting emotional as she reads note. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images| muratdeniz)

It pierces a parent’s heart to be unable to give their kids the best of everything. A mom named Coledo Wheeler had an 11-year-old son, Elijah Maines, and was struggling to give her son the life she wanted after her divorce , as stated by The Washington Post. While managing bills, it was going to be a strenuous, maybe impossible task to get Maines and his little brother Christmas gifts. That’s when an angel stepped in and left a gift on their doorstep that brought the mom to tears. A handwritten note revealed that this gift came from a thoughtful observation and a kind wish to do something good.

Woman getting emotional as she reads letter. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Milan Markovic)

The mom noted that with the divorce, it had been a tough time for her son. Nevertheless, he had been coping with the one thing he loved — basketball. Maines would frequently shoot hoops outside his mum’s home. “Basketball means the world to him. There’s nothing he loves more — it’s the thing that makes him the happiest,” the mom noted. The boy had been using the former family’s hoop to make his shots. Unfortunately, that one was rusted, bent and worn out. The boy would make do with it as he had no other option. While the mom worried her kids might not receive Christmas gifts, she was taken aback to find a gift on her doorstep.

Wornout and bent basketball hoop. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Benjamin Rondel)

It came with a note from a stranger. The note read, “Just wanted you and your son to have the best hoop that’ll grow with him and all his friends! It’s wonderful that you guys shoot hoops with him.” Wheeler was moved to tears on seeing the gift. “I was so humbled that somebody would go out of their way to do such a random act of kindness,” she remarked, adding that this secret Santa made her "believe in people again.” The sender of the gift was someone who had been noticing Maines behind the scenes. A FedEx driver, Aubrey Robinson, would pass by the 11-year-old shooting hoops as she made deliveries on her route.

Wrapped package left on doorstep. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by cybrain)

When she realized the hoop was giving way but the boy determinedly kept trying his shots, she was impressed. Having played the sport herself, she knew that “an old hoop like that can be tricky to get the ball through a bent rim. It’s hard to judge which angle to shoot from.” Along with that struggle, she also saw a thirst to play, a love for the sport and a passion in Maines’ personality. “His enthusiasm for basketball was like none I’d ever seen — the sheer joy on his face made me melt,” the driver remarked. That’s when she made a decision.

Little boy energetically playing basketball in yard. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Natalia Lebedinskaia)

“I wanted that kid to know what it’s like to watch a ball roll around the hoop a little bit before it drops in. I wanted him to have the best hoop to experience that anticipation,” she said. She stepped up to become an early Secret Santa and get Maines a new hoop. To her luck, no one was home when she arrived with the gift, making it perfect for her to plant the surprise. “I knew that kid was loving that hoop. I know he must have freaked out when he saw it. And that made me smile,” she said. Right enough, the mother-son duo were ecstatic to see the surprise.

Delivery woman checks packages in truck before handing making delivery. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Luis Alvarez)

Sharing in a post on Facebook, the mom thanked Robinson and wrote, “There are still good people in the world. Thank you, Aubrey. You made his day. Can’t wait to see you come through, I owe you a world of thanks.” When the 11-year-old returned, he was stoked to see the hoop. “It made me so happy that I cried. I was shocked when I saw it. I thought, ‘Wait, what? Wow,'" he said. For Aubrey, it is just an act of kindness but for the little boy, it is a fulfilled silent dream and a boost to chase his passion.