Homeless Man Finds $2,000 And Returns It, Then Donates Reward Money

Credit: West Shore Police Dpt.
Credit: West Shore Police Dpt.

Many who are well off – in the sense that they have a secure, safe place to live, enough money for food, and a stable job that provides for their family – wouldn’t likely turn down a cash donation if it was offered. More is always better…right?

Well, one man (who is homeless and desires to remain anonymous) has proven its not about how much money you possess, but about how much heart you have. He came across large sums of money twice in the past month, and each time opted to give it to those who need it more.

The individual, who is in his 60’s, found a suitcase with $2,000 cash inside on a street in British Columbia, Canada a few weeks ago. Instead of keeping it, however, he turned the money over to the police. 

News spread rapidly of his honest gesture, and in result donations flooded into a fundraising site to help him. At present, about $5,000 has been raised, including $255 from a kids’ lemonade stand.

A police officer from the West Shore Royal Canadian Mountain Police took special interest in the man’s story, taking it upon himself to track down the homeless individual and tell him the good news.

“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,” Constable Alex Bérubé said. “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.”

Credit: bryanmarvel.com
Credit: bryanmarvel.com

Hours of searching finally led Bérubé to the man. But when he was told of all the funds raised in his honor, the individual insisted the donations go to a local homeless shelter, Our Place.

He did have one request, however: He needed help finding a job. Therefore the same blog that raised the reward money vowed to help him obtain employment, and at present it seems he’s well on his way to having his request fulfilled.

The man says he wants to show his gratitude for the community’s support by paying it forward.

How many other people do you know who would do the same? Share the good news and comment your thoughts below.


This article (Homeless Man Finds $2,000 And Returns It, Then Donates Reward Money) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com.

Popular on True Activist