Clovis boy meets garbage man turned secret Santa

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's the perfect ending in the local search for a secret Santa. A little boy from Clovis finally met his favorite garbage man, who always goes above and beyond.

James Bennett is the 13-year solid waste worker who always gets a wave from 3-year-old Armaan Hayer. The two were fast friends after meeting for the first time Monday.

Clutching the toy garbage truck Bennett surprised Armaan with Christmas Day, he got a tour of the massive truck Bennett drives for the city of Clovis.

"We sit in these trucks and get bored all day," Bennett said. "And when he comes out and waves and says hi, it makes us happy and makes our day go by a lot better."

Before their meeting, Bennett didn't know how big of an impact his small gesture is having on the Hayer family.

"The majority of us just do our job and keep on trucking, right," said Armaan's father Paul Hayer. "But this guy takes the time out, took the time out here. He mentioned to me that he does it for a hand full of other kids, plus some homeless kids. He's an awesome guy."

Last week, on Christmas Day, Action News reported how excited Armaan was to get a stocking filled with candy and his toy truck. Bennett dropped it off before Armaan woke up Christmas morning, a gift for the boy who offered him friendship with just a wave.

"I don't know, it puts a smile on my face," Bennett said. "It makes me happy so I figured why not return the favor and make the kids smile with a little something for them?"

Bennett's wife says he's dropped off special Christmas gifts along his route for years. Bennett told Action News finding this particular green truck was a challenge.

And if that's not enough, Bennett was recognized by the city of Clovis in February for saving a woman along his route who was choking.

Of course, he still remains humble. "I don't like the spotlight," he said. "I did it because it was the thing to do. Somebody needed help and I helped them."

As for Armaan, he's just a happy little boy meeting his new friend and seeing the big green truck he waits for every Thursday.

"What'd you say to the driver," Paul asks Armaan. "Thank you," Armaan replied.

Hayer wants this story shared in hopes we could all learn from someone who tries every day to make a difference. "It'd just be a better place if you could do something for people and do the best you can do," Bennett said. "It's just a good gesture. It makes you feel good about yourself."