Buzz
Good news seems to be a rarity these days, with the media constantly filled with reports of wars, natural catastrophes, and an overwhelming amount of negativity. These stories can sometimes leave us feeling disheartened. This list is a breath of fresh air, featuring uplifting tales that restore our hope in humanity. What's even more remarkable is that the heroes in these stories are the less fortunate. Too often, we unfairly label them as lazy, forgetting that they too are capable of performing acts of kindness. As these stories demonstrate, some of them are truly extraordinary.
10. New Clothes for Schoolgirls
In India, eleven schoolgirls attending a special needs school were gifted new clothes by a kind-hearted donor. What made this gesture even more remarkable was that the donor wasn’t a wealthy individual, but rather a 64-year-old beggar.
Khimjibhai Prajapati once ran a small tea shop until it went out of business, forcing him to beg on the streets. Despite this hardship, his outlook on life remained unchanged, and he continued helping others who were less fortunate than himself. In fact, when interviewed about his donation, Prajapati shared that he had long wanted to give something to the schoolgirls and had saved up money over time to buy them clothes. A trustee from the school, who witnessed the act, praised Prajapati and referred to him as a true philanthropist.
9. The Traveler Who Resembled Jesus Christ
This particular act of kindness didn’t involve money, but it was a priceless gesture of saving a life. In October 2012, at a truck stop in Oklahoma, a couple in distress pulled over and urgently sought help. The woman had just given birth to a baby, but the umbilical cord was wrapped around its neck. The baby wasn’t breathing, and the onlookers feared that medical help would arrive too late.
Thankfully, a calm and composed homeless man named Gary Wilson stepped forward. Following instructions from a 911 dispatcher, he expertly untangled the umbilical cord from the baby’s neck and gently massaged its back. When medical personnel arrived, they commended Wilson for his quick thinking and calm demeanor. Though Wilson disappeared the following day, one of the truck stop employees mentioned that he resembled Jesus, with his long hair and beard.
8. Nigerian Beggar Donates His Alms to Flood Victims
In October of the previous year, a middle-aged beggar named Simon Ozoemena witnessed the devastating effects of a flood in Nigeria’s Anambra region and felt compelled to help. Despite being disabled, Ozoemena personally took $188 from the alms he collected from various churches and handed it over to government officials. His generosity deeply moved the officials, who promised to use the donation wisely for the benefit of the flood victims. When asked why he donated such a large sum, considering he relied on begging for his survival, Ozoemena humbly explained, “They were better off than me before the incident.”
7. The Roaming Chinese Beggar
At 18, Wang Zhiyou learned that his biological parents had given him up to another family due to their inability to care for him. This revelation opened his eyes to the harsh realities faced by the impoverished, and he decided to take up begging as a means to help others in similar circumstances.
His usual routine involves staying in one location for a month, where he begs for donations. Afterward, he contacts the media to help him find a person in need, to whom he then donates the money he has collected that month. Over his 15-year journey, Zhiyou has given away more than $6,000, as evidenced by the receipts he collects from the people he assists.
6. A Great Reward for Integrity
Anyone who believes that honesty no longer exists may not have heard of Billy Ray Harris. In February 2013, this 55-year-old homeless man from Kansas experienced a stroke of luck when a woman accidentally dropped her engagement ring—valued at thousands of dollars—into his cup while he was begging on the street. The woman didn’t realize her mistake until later and rushed to find Harris. When she met him again, she asked if he had found her ring. He confirmed he had and handed it back to her, at which point she offered him all the money she had with her.
However, the true reward came when the woman's fiancé started an online fundraiser for Harris. The story went viral, and people from all over the internet contributed to the fund, which quickly grew to more than $100,000. Harris later shared that, although he had been tempted to sell the ring, he knew it was the wrong thing to do and patiently awaited the woman's return.
5. Widow Donated Her Land for an Orphanage
On her 100th birthday, Indian widow Sindhubala Mishra chose to make a difference by donating her small plot of land for the creation of a children's park and orphanage. Mishra, who was married at the age of nine, shared how, after her husband's death two years later, she was forced to live on the streets. With no family or in-laws to take her in, she resorted to begging to survive. Over time, she saved enough money to purchase her land.
Now, her only wish is for her generous donation to provide homeless children with a fair opportunity at life. Her act of kindness has inspired many individuals and organizations to contribute funds and supplies, with some even offering to construct the orphanage and park free of charge.
4. Panhandler Settled the Hotel Bill
In 2011, Curtis Jackson, a homeless man from Chicago, saw an opportunity to return kindness when he learned that a woman he knew had recently lost her job. At the time, she was a 39-year-old single mother working at a bank and owning a home. After losing her job—and subsequently her house—she stayed in a hotel with her young son, as child welfare officers had advised against living in her car. Faced with the daunting task of paying the hotel bill, Jackson stepped in to help. Remembering the woman's past kindness to him, he paid her bill daily using the money he gathered from begging around the city. In total, Jackson paid $9,000 in hotel fees but said he had no regrets, commenting that as long as he had God, money didn’t matter.
3. Anonymous Beggar Donates Two Months’ Worth of Earnings to Earthquake Victims
Recall the biblical passage where Jesus highlights that the small offerings of the poor are more meaningful than the grand contributions of the wealthy? This story embodies that sentiment. In April 2013, an anonymous beggar from China approached a fundraiser for victims of a recent earthquake in his hometown and donated $160. He had saved this amount over the course of two months and was eager to assist his fellow citizens in need.
The tale of his generosity quickly went viral on Chinese social media, with one user commenting, 'He is the most beautiful beggar.' This wasn’t his only act of kindness—just a month prior, reports emerged that he had also given money to a child battling leukemia.
2. Homeless Man Helps Clean Neighbors’ Homes
Despite being homeless, Les Wesniewski has not allowed his own circumstances to prevent him from helping others. Living at the Mustard Seed homeless shelter in Calgary, he chose to lend a hand when his town was struck by a flood in June 2013. Along with several volunteers, Wesniewski went door-to-door each day, assisting homeowners with the daunting task of cleaning up the flood damage. In an interview, Wesniewski shared that he didn’t mind volunteering; he was simply glad to be able to contribute. Fellow volunteers noted that his actions have deeply inspired both them and the wider community.
1. The Remarkably Generous Beggar
Aiam Cambhiranon, a man who spent 34 years begging near a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, could have easily kept the significant sums of money he collected. However, the 63-year-old displayed exceptional generosity by donating $76,000 over the course of three years to help rebuild the temple.
Cambhiranon made a substantial donation for the first time in 2011, and he has continued to do so annually. The monks who ran the temple were deeply moved by his kindness, and they praised his humble nature despite the local fame he had gained among pilgrims. The only notable change in Cambhiranon’s life occurred when the monks encouraged him to live in the temple after local robbers started targeting him. Since then, volunteers have provided security for both Cambhiranon and the temple.
+ The Living Bulgarian Saint
Dobri Dobrev is a beloved figure in Sofia, Bulgaria, known for spending decades begging on the streets. However, what most don’t realize is that Dobrev never keeps the money he earns. Instead, he donates all of it towards the restoration of churches, monasteries, and to support orphanages.
Despite surviving on a meager pension of around $100 a month, Dobrev has contributed over $52,000 to these causes. Now nearing 100 years old and having lost his hearing in World War II, Dobrev shares his inspiring mission in a local TV interview.
