Tim Harris and his hugs have made headlines before.
The 28-year-old with Down syndrome is the founder of Tim's Place, "The World's Friendliest Restaurant," in Albuquerque, N.M., where he's known for serving breakfast and lunch with an extra-big hug.
But last year, when Harris' family realized that his birthday fell on National Hug Day (Jan. 21), they knew they wanted to dish out more than just good meals and warm embraces.
So, they hosted the first annual Hug-A-Thon, where Harris hugged more than 1,000 people and raised $6,000 in three days, according to the HooplaHa video above. The money went to Firefighters Random Acts, a nonprofit that enables firefighters to perform random acts of kindness in their community, according to its website.
This year, Harris set a new goal: 2,000 hugs and $10,000. In four days he beat that, according to the Tim's Place Facebook page. He hugged more than 2,000 people and earned $13,000 in donations.
In the joyful video above, you can either meet or reacquaint yourself with Harris, his family and the customers who stop by for a hug on the regular.
"This is so amazing," Harris says, choking back tears during this year's Hug-A-Thon. "I'm very happy. I have somebody here to love. Everybody, I love every one of you!"
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