Fund for homeless man who stood in the rain to guard stranger's £450 reaches £17K
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Fund for homeless man who stood in the rain to guard stranger's £450 reaches £17K

THE fund for a kind homeless man who stood in the rain to guard a stranger's £450 has reached over £17,000. 

James John McGeown spotted a car parked outside the Sheriff Court in Glasgow with a passenger window rolled down and the money inside the handbag last week.

He waited two-and-a-half hours in the rain for the owner to return before taking it to the nearest lawyers office for safe-keeping, according to Glasgow Live.

 

When owner John McMonagle returned to his car with his colleague Alyshia Orford, he found a note telling him the bag was safe in the office.

Mr McMonagle - who owns McMonagle's chip shop in Clydebank - opened a GoFundMe to thank Mr McGeown for his 'phenomenal' generosity.

He told Glasgow Live: "I was in shock, I couldn't believe that the guy never took a penny.

"To think he is sleeping on the streets tonight when he could have stolen the money and paid for a place to stay.

"This guy has nothing and yet he didn't take the bag for himself, he thought about others instead. It's phenomenal. It just proves there's decent guys out there and especially at Christmas.

"He came back to the car when I was there and I gave him £40 and thanked him, but I'll go buy him boots and a good sleeping bag as well. I want to do something to help the guy."

People touched by Mr McGeown's kindness have now raised over £17,000 for him and the Glasgow homeless community, with many praising him and wishing him well.

"Fantastic - hope this helps. Has restored my faith in people," one person wrote.

"Just when you loose hope in human nature someone special does something so kind. I hope James gets everything he deserves," said another.

Yesterday, Mr McMonagle said Mr McGeown was now in a detox centre in Glasgow to help turn his life around.

"This guy will now get the opportunity to change his life, the money will be life-changing," he said.

To contribute to the fundraiser for James John McGeown, you can go here.