Surfing community surprises man fallen on hard times with new minivan

LOS ANGELES - A small surfing community in the Malibu area pitched in to help a beloved member.

For this group of Southern California surfers, Thomas is considered a member of their family. Unfortunately for Thomas, he had fallen on hard times and the COVID-19 pandemic hasn't made much easier.

But on Wednesday, a video shared by photographer Raymond Joyce showed Thomas' surfing family giving the upbeat surfer a surprise he'd never forget.

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"You know we care about you, right?" one member of the community could be heard asking in the video.

"Of course I do," Thomas enthusiastically responds in the video.

The gang presented Thomas with a new minivan, moving him to tears. Joyce, who shot the heartwarming video, said the group had pooled the money together to buy Thomas the minivan.

Joyce told FOX 11 that Thomas is a "sweetheart" of a guy and the community really loves him.

"There's only one thing I can say," Tommy said in the video. "God bless all of you."