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Johnny Bobbitt Jr., left, Kate McClure, right, and McClure's boyfriend Mark D'Amico pose at a Citgo station in Philadelphia. ELIZABETH ROBERTSON/Staff Phot

Woman sets up fund for homeless man who bought her petrol - donations pass €300,000

“I wish that I could do more for this selfless man, who went out of his way just to help me that day.”

A FUND SET up to raise money for a homeless man who helped a woman when her car ran out of gas in Philadelphia has collected more than $318,000 (€235,000) .

The GoFundMe campaign was started by Bordentown, New Jersey, resident Kate McClure this month after she was stuck along Interstate 95 and Johnny Bobbitt Jr. bought her some gas with his last $20.

McClure said she didn’t have any money to repay him at the time but returned to the road several times to give him cash, clothes and food.

After a few visits, she started the fundraiser with the hopes of using the money toward housing and other expenses for the 34-year-old Bobbitt.

“I wish that I could do more for this selfless man, who went out of his way just to help me that day,” she wrote on the fundraising page. “Truly believe that all Johnny needs is one little break. Hopefully with your help I can be the one to give it to him.”

McClure says she didn’t have money to pay him back but she returned to his spot several times in the following days to give him cash, clothes and food. She says she then started the fundraiser hoping to collect $10,000 to cover housing and other expenses for him.

McClure says she wishes she “could do more for this selfless man.”

Donations had poured in from about 10,000 people by yesterday.

Read: ‘Extremely worrying’: A record high of 184 people are now sleeping rough in Dublin

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