12-Year-Old Girl Donates All Her Birthday Money To Kind Homeless Man Who Returned Her Grandma's Lost Wallet

A 12-year-old girl has donated her birthday money to a homeless man who returned the wallet of her grandmother.

Evelyn Topper and her granddaughter, Mikayla Gounard, were having coffee at a café in San Rafael, California, when the grandmother lost the wallet. It was then found by local man Sean Curry at a dumpster behind the café. While Curry has been homeless for 5 years, and suffering real financial hardship, he did the right thing and made sure the wallet was returned to its owner.

The wallet contained some money as well as her credit cards, debit cards and medical certification and while the small amount of money was gone, everything else was left intact. It is likely that another individual found or stole the wallet, took the money, then threw it next to the dumpster.

Topper said:

"In this little wallet was everything. Every credit, debit, medicare card. Everything I own. I was distraught."

So thankful was Evelyn, who was due to have a socially distant birthday party at her house, that Mr. Curry returned her grandmother's wallet, she decided that any money she received would go straight to him to help him get back on his feet. During the birthday party, in which guests drove by in their cars, several hundred pounds was raised.

Mr. Curry did though, tell reporters he didn't think he had done anything out of the ordinary and that he did what he did because he 'has a heart', he added:

"That's the way I was brought up."

Evelyn Topper, who is Jewish, said to Curry that his act was a 'mitzvah'. She told NBC news:

"I was screaming. It's a mitzvah! I asked him if he knew what a mitzvah was and he said, 'No.' I said it's like a good deed."

On receiving the money, Curry said:

"I'm humbled. I'm just blessed. It's hard to express words for it. I'm at a loss. I'm warmed by it, 100%."

The term 'Mitzvah' has two meanings, one is the obedience towards biblical commandments, and the other is a good deed that is performed in accordance with these laws. In time, it has come to mean any good deed that one carries out with no expectation that they will receive anything in return.