A New Jers4ey woman who was helped by a homeless man when she was stranded on the Philadelphia interstate, having run out of gas, has managed to raise more than $100,000 for the selfless good Samaritan.
Kate McClure, 27, started a crowd funding account 12 days ago after she had run into trouble on Insterstate 95 and was rescued by Johnny Bobbitt Jr, who helped her with his last twenty dollars.
According to a story originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, McClure said that she did not know what to do in that situation. Stranded on a deserted highway just before midnight, she managed to phone her boyfriend Mark D-Amico, 38 and asked him to come and get her.
It was around that time Bobbitt Jr emerged from the shadows and approached her car.
The former Marine veteran and EMT was concerned for her safety along the stretch of road and told her to lock the doors and stay in her car while he went to fetch her gas.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation employee said that she did not have any money to repay him that night but returned to that stretch several times to give him cash, clothes and food.
It was during this time that she learned more about Bobbitt Jr and resolved to get him back on his feet, but did not anticipate the level of generosity from the public.
McClure started the fundraiser after a few visits and hopes to use the money toward housing and other expenses for the 34-year-old Bobbitt.
Donations have poured in, and the fundraiser has shattered its goal of raising $10,000 for Bobbitt.
During their conversations McClure came to know that Bobbitt Jr is a homeless veteran. Originally from North Carolina, he served in the Marines as an ammunition technician and his social media posts show him during happier times.
However, his life took a turn for the worse that left him homeless in Philadelphia for the last 18 months. He encountered money problems and also turned to drugs and had several run-ins with the law.
About 3,100 people have already given to the campaign.
