Not many 19-year-olds still play dress up. And even less spend their days helping the homeless. But, that doesn't stop one San Jose teen-hero from stepping up.
Jonathan Bloom stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and you can catch him nightly walking through downtown San Jose just before sunset donning a black cape, and pulling a supply wagon filled with food and necessities behind him.
He stops and takes photos with admiring fans, but his goal is clear, and that's to help those in need.
"People ignore people out on the street," Bloom told NBC Bay Area. "So I figured I'd draw as much attention as possible to the issue — and, well, this is pretty attention-grabbing."
Bloom says he began helping unhoused people after seeing them en route to his school and started by simply asking them what they needed.
Most of his neighbors needed food, water, blankets, and socks.
The wagon costs about $25 a day to keep full, according to NBC, and it's stocked mostly thanks to online donations.
Bloom says in addition to giving people what they need, he also gives them someone to talk to, and the costume is a big part of that.
"They greet you like they know who you are," he said. "And it makes people a lot more comfortable.
"I want people to focus on the problem, not on me," he said. "I could be literally anybody."
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