Eddie Vedder Donates $10K to Struggling Family

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder sent a struggling Maryland family a check for $10,000

Is there a 'better man' than Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder?

The soon-to-be Rock & Roll Hall of Famer (and onetime San Diegan) was behind one of the season's most heartwarming stories, donating $10,000 to a struggling Maryland woman and her six children.

The Washington Post published an article about Tyshika Britten on Dec. 19, who was then facing eviction from her home and had no money to purchase her children gifts for Christmas. The Post picked up the story after Britten had posted to Craigslist, pleading with strangers to help her through a rough time.

"I am a mother of six, five boys and one baby girl ... I'm so hurt," Britten wrote. "I'm trying my best. I pray everyday and now I'm begging for help. I know it's not about the gifts, but they are kids! I'm such a failure right now ... please help me."

The Post's article and Britten's Craigslist writeup both went viral, where Vedder eventually saw it. Moved, the musician wrote the family a $10,000 check as a "tourniquet" toward ending their troubles.

"I was just so moved by the story and what his mother did for her children," Vedder told the Washington Post. "I thought those kids must be so proud of their mother for reaching out. That takes a lot of courage."

Upon receiving the check, Britten apparently didn't actually know who Vedder was and had never heard of Pearl Jam -- asking the Washington Post, "Is he in a band?"

In other good news, $18,475 was raised for the family via a GoFundMe page that had originally asked for $6,000. In a season for giving, it's nice to see strangers standing up for someone in their time of need. And kudos to Vedder for answering the call in such a big way -- the "Man of the Hour" indeed.

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