Homeless Man Who Turned In $2,400 Asks For Money Raised On His Behalf To Go To Charity

Nice, I love stories that make me feel even more like a self-centered, greedy dirtbag. And if there’s a story that’s ever going to bring those flaws to light, it’s this one.

A 60-ish year old homeless man from Langford, British Columbia, in Canada recently found $2,400 in cash. No trail, no leads, just abandoned cash. Jackpot, right?  I can speak for myself (and you too, bruh, who are you kidding) when I say I’d 124% take it. I don’t even think there would be a “but, what if…” inner monologue. I’m not a complete dick, though, I’d give some back to the community by buying everyone in the bar I skip into a round of (cheap) beers.

But this homeless dude, the one who needed it the most, turned it all in to the Police Constable. EVERY. LAST. PENNY. He received media attention for his unbelievably, almost infuriatingly, selfless act.

The widespread attention inspired a  GoFundMe account for the man’s well-being set up by Mike Kelly, founder and social media director of the news site Victoria Buzz. The initial goal was $2,400, but people from all over the land were so inspired that the amount raised ballooned to over $5,000.

Constable Alex Bérubé, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was so moved by the story he was adamant on tracking the man down.

“After hearing this story and seeing how this case touched so many people, I took a personal interest in finding this man, looking for him everywhere while on and off shift. It’s not easy tracking down a person of no fixed address and no phone, but I kept trying because I needed to tell him about how the community had rallied together to help him.”

When Bérubé finally found the man to deliver the good news about the GoFundMe money, the man yet again did the opposite of what I would have done. Bérubé reports:

“His response surprised me yet again, when instead of asking how to collect it, he asked me how to donate it to Our Place and other food service providers for people in need.”

The person who lost the initial money has been located and the money returned.

Ok, Matt. Repeat after me:

[ABC News]

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.