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A homeless veteran found $2,000 in cash on the ground — what he did with it was truly remarkable

He proved everybody wrong when he chose to rise above greed.
PUBLISHED NOV 30, 2024
Homeless man talking about his problems and hugging the content creator who left the cash | (Cover image source: YouTube | Waqas Shah)
Homeless man talking about his problems and hugging the content creator who left the cash | (Cover image source: YouTube | Waqas Shah)

Coming across thousands of dollars lying on the ground can evoke mixed feelings including curiosity as well as greed. When one is facing poverty and homelessness, maintaining a positive outlook toward life becomes difficult let alone doing the right thing all the time. However, one homeless veteran proved everybody wrong when he chose to rise above greed after discovering $2,000 in hard cash in the street. 

Screenshot showing a man dropping his wallet intentionally to see what a homeless man would do | (Image Source: YouTube | Waqas Shah)
Screenshot showing the homeless man handing Shah's wallet back to him | (Image Source: YouTube | Waqas Shah)

As part of a social experiment, YouTube content creator Waqas Shah dropped a wallet containing $2,000 in an area known for homeless people living there. After taking a few steps, a homeless man named Jay called out to Shah saying, "Woah, buddy! You dropped your wallet. You dropped it right over there." After asking if the man was indeed homeless, Shah exclaimed, "You gave the money back to me!” Without hesitating, the man said, "Giving back is what you do. I don't steal.” Waqas then handed the man a gift to show his appreciation for him doing the right thing. "You're a great person," Shah told him. "Thank you for giving it back to me."

Homeless man buying food for other homeless people | (Image Source: YouTube |
Screenshots sowing the homeless man buying food for other homeless people | (Image Source: YouTube | Waqas Shah)

As the video continued, Jay was seen heading to a nearby food cart where he bought three meals and then distributed the meals to other homeless people in the area. Yet again, Shah was left speechless by the homeless man's acts. He then walked up to him to ask about his second act of generosity. "Giving back is the thing to do," Jay said once again, before adding "The more you give the more you get." He went on to talk bout how his wife is pregnant and how he prays that everything will turn out fine. "Being out on the streets is very, very hard," he added.

Shah was astounded and decided to give him more cash to thank him for taking care of others even in such a dire situation. "I love that you're spreading love," the YouTube host told the man in the video.



 

People were simply spellbound after seeing the video. "It's great to see that some people are still humble Thanks for showing us the good side of the world too, because most YouTubers try showing the bad side for views," a viewer @mgk8085 wrote in the comment section. "Seriously this was seriously so awesome.. It was so good to see that the man actually helped other people. And yes you are a genuine person who always shows us a reality.. Thank you for being an inspiration to me. Really thanks a lot. Love ya," @the_savage_soul added. "I was having such a bad day and this really made me smile... it's assuring to know that there are some truly amazing people in the world," @MH-fq4vy expressed

Image Source: YouTube | @mehaksalimi3237
Comment appreciating the homeless man's dedication to kindness (Image Source: YouTube | @mehaksalimi3237)
Image Source: YouTube | @safira6782
Comment praising Shah for his generosity (Image Source: YouTube | @safira6782)

The highest number of homeless people live in costly states such as California, New York, Florida, and Washington, according to the Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2023. The report found that on a single night in January of 2023, at least 653,104 people were experiencing homelessness in the U.S., which is a rise of more than 12% from 2020, via US News

You can follow Waqas Shah (@Waqasshah94) on YouTube for more social experiment videos.

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