Good Samaritan Leaves 8-Year-Old Boy Big Surprise After Thieves Steal From His Medford Firewood Business

MEDFORD, N.J. (CBS) -- A South Jersey boy wanted to make sure his neighbors stayed warm this winter. The 8-year-old boy started a firewood business outside of his Medford home and it's run on an honor system.

But not everyone is paying their fair share.

When that chill hits the air, firewood becomes a hot commodity for a cozy evening and homegrown stands are a sure supply for that winter warmth.

In front of his home is where Robbie Ritter proudly operates his stand.

Robbie has been splitting wood with his dad's help for most of his life and selling his cold-weather product since last year.

Robbie's dad says he would sell out too quickly and Rob didn't want to disappoint his customers with low inventory so over the fall, his family built a new stand.

It operates with an honor system -- take some logs and drop $5 or $10 into a box based on the size.

And Robbie saves every penny. But of course, theft has happened.

And how did that make Robbie feel?

"Really angry," he said.

"There have been some shortages and the community has really rallied around him," Robbie's dad, Joe Ritter, said.

On Wednesday morning, Robbie saw that $10 worth of firewood was missing.

"I usually don't like to look in because I like it to be a surprise and there was a $100 bill in there," Robbie said.

His dad caught his reaction.

On the back of the $100 bill was a note: "Goodwill always outweighs the bad -- keep up the good work!"

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