Iowa boy's heartwarming gesture to kids who lost their homes during deadly tornadoes

A selfless Iowa boy decided to give away his toys to local kids who lost theirs in deadly tornadoes. 

Evan Croxell, 6, said he made the heartwarming move after hearing about the devastating impact a number of tornadoes last week had on his friends. 

'One of my friends didn't have their house,' the youngster told WTSP, as he set up a free toy stand outside his home in Greenfield, Iowa. 

His proud mom Kaci Croxell admitted that even she was stunned by her son's generosity, because 'normally it's like pulling teeth to get rid of his toys.' 

It comes days after a severe storm system blew through Iowa a week ago, killing five people and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. 

Evan Croxell, 6, decided to give away his toys to local kids who lost theirs in deadly tornadoes with a free toy stand outside his home in Greenfield, Iowa 

Greenfield was among the hardest hit areas when the tornadoes ripped through, destroying much of the town of around 2,000 people. 

Kaci said when the twisters rolled in, she and her children hunkered down in their basement while the storms flattened homes, shredded trees and ripped entire wind turbines from the ground. 

'It was just nuts,' she said. 'We were just down in the basement, and I was down there with the boys, and it got really quiet.

'You could just hear the wind and the hail, and then all of a sudden it just got real loud and real windy.' 

In the aftermath of the storms as crews worked to clear the wreckage, Kaci said her son decided to help out, at first by just donating his toys. 

To further these efforts, Evan set up a toy stand outside his house so he could personally give out free presents to kids affected by the tornadoes. 

Kaci said she was proud to see her son step up, because 'you feel like you're doing something right.' 

'Everybody is just so surprised that a little kid wants to get rid of their toys,' she added. 

'At first I was kind of shocked that he wanted to do it because normally it's like pulling teeth to get rid of his toys.' 

The selfless boy placed the table full of toys next to this sign

His family's home was thankfully untouched during the storms

Evan's proud mom Kaci Croxell admitted that even she was stunned by her son's generosity, because 'normally it's like pulling teeth to get rid of his toys' 

It comes a week after tornadoes ripped through Iowa, with the small town of Greenfield (pictured) left devastated by the twisters 

Shocking images from Greenfield showed widespread damage, as at least five people were killed and entire neighborhoods were levelled 

It comes a week after the tornado system tore through Iowa, killing at least five and injuring dozens more. 

One death occurred in Adams County, Iowa, around 90 miles southwest of Des Moines, when a woman was ejected from a vehicle during the brutal storm, and officials said there were several other storm-related deaths statewide.  

Entire neighborhoods were flattened by several deadly twisters that gripped the region last Tuesday evening, as aerial footage of the aftermath showed where a tornado tore through the town as homes were leveled and trees were shredded down to their stumps. 

Images shared to Facebook by a Greenfield resident saw entire homes reduced to rubble and turned into scattered debris, while brick walls were flattened by the force of the twister.

A local hospital was hit by the fierce tornadoes, forcing staff and patients to evacuate the ransacked buildings and set up field hospitals at nearby high schools.

Massive wind turbines were also destroyed by the gusts, with at least three turbines destroyed in Adams County, and MidAmerican Energy Company said it owned several more that were destroyed in Adair County.