Crowdfunding campaign for homeless man who lent woman his last $20 raises $280,000

Kate McClure starts wildly successful GoFundMe page for Johnny Bobbitt Jr as a thank you for helping her out with cash at Philadelphia petrol station

Johnny Bobbitt Jr, left, Kate McClure, right, and McClure's boyfriend Mark D'Amico pose at a Citgo station in Philadelphia. When McClure ran out of gas, Bobbitt, who is homeless, gave his last $20 to buy gas for her. McClure started a Gofundme.com campaign for Bobbitt that has raised more than $13,000 (AP)

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 $280,000 (£210,000).

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 (£15).

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 (£7,500) 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 Thursday.

AP