McClure was initially terrified and called her boyfriend Mark D’Amico in fear as she watched a homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt, approach her car.
It quickly became apparent to her that Bobbitt just wanted to help. He told her that the area was unsafe and advised her to remain in her car with the doors locked.
Bobbit, offered to walk a few blocks to the gas station, and use his last $20 to buy her a can of gas.
McClure had no money on her to repay Bobbitt, but when she got home safely, she was so struck by the homeless man who spent his last $20 on her, that she set up a GoFundMe page to help him pay a roof over his head for the cold winter.
Writing on the GofundMe campaign page, McClure said: “I never ran out of gas before, and my heart was beating out of my chest.
“I pulled over as far as I could, and got out of the car to head to the nearest gas station.
“That’s when I met Johnny. Johnny sits on the side of the road every day, holding a sign. He saw me pull over and knew something was wrong.
“He told me to get back in the car and lock the doors. A few minutes later, he comes back with a red gas can. Using his last $20 to make sure I could get home safe.”
So far over $278,148 worth of donations have flooded in for Bobbit, who is a former marine and worked as a firefighter and EMT before ending up down on his luck and homeless.
Bobbit,hails from North Carolina and has been homeless for a year and half, He began living under a bridge after he was robbed in a shelter.
“He came back from his service in the marines and for some reason it didn’t work out with his wife and it hit him hard,” Mark D’Amico said. “He left North Carolina and started traveling around the United States.”
Since their first encounter, McClure has returned to visit the homeless man several times, taking him warm clothing, food and beverages.
Each time, she has been surprised by how generous Bobbit is, as he would share these items with other homeless people.
We told Johnny about the @gofundme he wants to say thank you to everyone who donated or shared!! #philly #rak pic.twitter.com/jfkwamTRpp
— Kate McClure (@getjohnnyahome) November 16, 2017
She said: “One day I stopped to see him and had a few things in a bag to give him, one of which was a box of cereal bars so he could have something that he could carry around and eat.
“He was very appreciative as usual and the first thing he said was ‘do you want one?’.
“Another time I dropped off 2 wawa gift cards and a case of water.. the first words that came out of his mouth were “I can’t wait to show the guys” (there are 2 others he hangs out with and they all take care of each other). If just those 2 statements alone do not give you a glimpse of the good heart this man has I’m not sure anything will.”
“I am raising money for Johnny. With the money, I would like to get him first and last month’s rent at an apartment, a reliable vehicle, and 4-6 months worth of expenses. He is very interested in finding a job, and I believe that with a place to be able to clean up every night and get a good night’s rest, his life can get back to being normal.”
“I Truly believe that all Johnny needs is one little break. Hopefully with your help I can be the one to give it to him.”
Bobbit wants to work at Amazon — and a recruiter from the tech giant has already reached out, saying she wants to help him get a spot.
“He’s a genuinely good guy so I think he deserves everything that’s coming to him,” McClure said.
