Internet Raises $380,000 For Homeless Man Who Gave Woman His Last $20

Last month, a woman named Kate McClure was driving down a dark New Jersey road when her car ran out of gas. At first, she considered walking to the nearest gas station. But then, a homeless man named Johnny warned against it.

Instead, he suggested she stay in her car and lock the doors. He also offered to fetch the petrol for her. Because McClure didn’t have any cash on her, she didn’t want to accept his offer. But that’s when Johnny did something amazing: he donated his last $20 to her cause.

Credit: Kate McClure/GoFundMe

Blown away by his kindness, she promised to return to the location so she could repay him. The next day, McClure and her boyfriend did just that. They also gave him a scarf and some mittens to keep warm. It still didn’t feel like enough, however, which is why McClure set up a  GoFundMe page for Johnny.

She wrote on the page:

“I wish that I could do more for this selfless man, who went out of his way just to help me that day. He is such a great guy, and talking to him each time I see him makes me want to help him more and more.”

Not long after the campaign was created, it went viral. To date, McClure and over 13,000 kind Samaritans have raised over $380,000 for Johnny — far surpassing its $10,000 goal. Most of the donations were between $10 and $20, showing how powerful a simple act of charity can be.

Credit: Kate McClure/GoFundMe

Before Johnny became homeless, he worked as a firefighter and paramedic. He just fell on hard times, why is why McClure wanted to use the funds to secure housing for him. According to the Huffington Post, she figured that with some essentials and enough money to last him a few months, he could turn his situation around.

“He is very interested in finding a job, and I believe that with a place to be able to clean up every night and get a good night’s rest, his life can get back to being normal,” she wrote. “Truly believe that all Johnny needs is one little break. Hopefully with your help I can be the one to give it to him.”

Even after the campaign reached its goal, supporters continued to donate money. As it crept toward $100,000, Johnny asked for the campaign to be suspended. Reportedly, he did not want to take advantage of the kindness of strangers. But after a while, McClure started it again due to popular demand.

Credit: Kate McClure/GoFundMe

Now that Johnny has accepted the generosity of strangers, he says he has ideas for where the money can go. He intends on donating a portion to various charities, to help others as he has been aided. Said McClure,

“He is fully aware of the world wide interest in this over the last few days. It will be his decision and his decision only on what organizations and or private parties he decides to help!!”

Watch the video below to learn more:

If you keep up with current events, you’ve likely been taught that the world is a dark, dismal place with few good-hearted people. This is false. If you need evidence of goodness in the world, or examples of people going the distance to help others, re-read the story above.

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Source: Huffington Post