WATCH: East Haven Boy's Good Deeds Got Drew Barrymore's Attention

EAST HAVEN, CT — When we first met Connor last April, the then-7-year-old Momauguin Elementary School second-grader, he'd asked his grandmother about pet food drives. He was worried mostly about dogs in the East Haven Animal Shelter not having enough to eat.

Mary Corriea told him then that she thought he had a very good idea and encouraged and supported it. Young Connor was inspired and his pet food and pet supplies collection began to take shape in his grandmother's living room. And soon, the drive went from the house to the driveway.

Connor would become a local celebrity of sorts when East Haven Mayor Joseph A. Carfora visited the boy and donated to his drive.

What began with a young child's idea to be of help, grew into a much larger effort. Now age 8 and an East Haven third-grader, he and his family — two sisters and his grandparents — held several drives since last April raising much-needed supplies and donations for the animal shelter.

And it landed him on TV. And not just any TV show, but The Drew Barrymore Show.

The family had been contacted by the Drew Barrymore show after Connor held several pet food and supply drives since early spring 2021 — and raised thousands of dollars in donations for the animal shelter —was covered not just by Patch and then featured in national media, but by local media including WTNH.

Connor was asked to be featured on the show's segment called Drew-Gooders. The segment was recently filmed and was broadcast Tuesday.

In the segment, Barrymore "shines a light on two Drew-Gooders."

Connor shares that he started the pet food drive to honor his beloved dog Cheetah, who'd passed away.

"I think all pets should have as much love as he had," Connor says in the segment.

Soon, Barrymore will surprise Connor and another young person named Sophia with a Build-A-Bear experience where she stuffs a bear and chats with Connor.

As part of the segment, Build-A-Bear donated 10,000 bears to Toys for Tots.

Meanwhile, Connor has kept up his good-deed-doing.

Last Saturday, Connor held another drive that would support not only the East Haven Animal Shelter, but he was concerned about kids and the elderly who may not get enough to eat. And to help those in need, especially during the holidays. So the family came up with a clever plan: "Can the Van," where his grandad Matthew Bucko's van would be parked near the edge of the Dodge Avenue driveway for canned goods (and any and all other non-perishables) to be stuffed in until there was no room left for more.

To date, the boy has raised more than $5,000 in donations.

Keep up the good work, Connor!