Homeless Good Samaritan plans to 'pay it forward' with £280,000 donated to him by strangers
A homeless man who helped a stranded motorist with his last $20 (£15) has revealed plans to give away a portion of the $370,000 (£280k) he has received in donations so far.
Johnny Bobbitt Jr, 34, came to the aid of Kate McClure when she ran out of petrol on the side of a motorway in Philadelphia.
He told the 27-year-old to wait in her car and lock the doors before walking two miles to the nearest petrol station to bring her back some fuel.
Ms McClure set up a GoFundMe page to help the Good Samaritan get back on his feet and it quickly surpassed the initial $10,000 (£7,500) target.
The former paramedic, who became homeless 18 months ago, says he wants to use some of the donations to “pay it forward” and help others by “returning the favour”.
“I want to change my life, I want to give a lot of it away,” he told Good Morning America.
“That’s how I got the money to start with, from other people. I can’t constantly take and not give back.
“I just want to do the right thing. Give money to organisations that help people in need.
“This money was given to help me. Why not help other people in similar situations or people that are actively helping other people in different situations?
“Everybody out there is facing some kind of struggle, so if I can touch their life, the way mine was touched, [it’d be] an amazing feeling. I want to feel the feeling on the opposite end.”
He added: “It’s like winning the lottery … I’m definitely going to get a place to live … there won't be a brand new car.”
Instead, Bobbitt Jr plans to use some of the money to buy a second-hand truck. He also plans to meet with a lawyer and financial planner in the next few days.
