​Woman Raises Over $290,000 For Homeless Veteran Who Saved Her

Homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt Jr came to the aid of a stranded woman - and now she's repaying him in the most amazing way.

When 27-year-old Kate McClure was stuck on a highway in Philadelphia, her car completely out of petrol, it was an unlikely hero that came to her aid.

After she bumped into homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt Jr, he used his last $20 (£15) to buy her petrol and make sure she got home safe.

Now she's repaying him - and then some, having raised almost $300,000 (£225,000) for Johnny.

"Driving into Philly one night, I made the mistake of thinking that I would be able to make it all the way down I-95 with my gas light on," Kate says on the GoFundMe page.

"Needless to say, I was wrong. I never ran out of gas before, and my heart was beating out of my chest. I pulled over as far as I could, and got out of the car to head to the nearest gas station.

"That's when I met Johnny," she continues. "He saw me pull over and knew something was wrong. He told me to get back in the car and lock the doors. A few minutes later, he comes back with a red gas can. Using his last 20 dollars to make sure I could get home safe."

Johnny

Credit: GoFundMe

Kate says she was unable to repay Johnny at the time because she didn't have any cash on her. Instead, she kept returning to the highway where Johnny was and, after repaying him for the petrol, gave him warm clothing, food and water.

It was then that she took to the internet for help, setting up a GoFundMe page called 'Paying It Forward'. Kate gave the campaign an original target of $10,000 (£7,500), saying that all Johnny needs is 'one little break'.

"With the money, I would like to get him first and last month's rent at an apartment, a reliable vehicle, and 4-6 months worth of expenses," she said.

"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."

However, it wasn't long before donations came in thick and fast, and Kate has since moved Johnny into a hotel while her and her partner look for a permanent home for him.

Nice hustle, Internet - but bigger props go to Johnny for being such a top bloke in the first place.

Topics: World News, News, Fundraising, Interesting, US News, Community, Homelessness, Homeless

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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