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TUCSON - Countless kids are still suffering more than a month after Hurricane Sandy.
Homes are destroyed and debris is still littering the streets.

One of Kristi's Kids heard about this and is stepping-up to help. A Tucson child who is Paying it Forward.

Kira Ellis's dad, Scott, is a firefighter with Golder Ranch Fire District. He was in New York last September honoring the victims of 9-11.

Just a few weeks after he returned, another disaster struck.

"When Hurricane Sandy hit, I was pretty much glued to the screen because I made a lot of friends out there," says Scott.

Seven-year-old Kira also watched.

"She was asking a lot of questions and I didn't want to sugar coat it. I wanted her to understand what was going on. People's houses were destroyed. They had nowhere to live anymore.

Kira wondered about the kids. What happened to their favorite toys?
Most of the toys, gone forever, most likely and Kira didn't like that answer.

"She talked with her mommy about it and talked with me about it and wanted to donate a bunch of her toys."

Wow! This kid has a lot of heart.

"We saw all the damage and we also talked about doing the drive," says Kira.

That's how Kira Kares was launched. They set up a facebook page, set out collection boxes. But instead of focusing on toys, they decided on something more portable.

"Gift cards would be a lot easier to ship," Kira explains.

Kira's team counted-up the credit then shipped it out in time for Christmas.
Firefighters, in New York, made sure they got to the kids who need it the most.

The perk of Paying it Forward says Kira?

"Well there's one fun part and that's helping kids in need."

Kira Kares isn't going anywhere since there will be birthdays to celebrate and back to school needs.

Click here for the Kira Kares Facebook page if you want to help.