Homeless Man Readily Gives His Last 27 Cents to a Stranger When He Asks for Help - Little Did He Know What Was Coming Next

69-year-old Roy Jurina knows what it's like to struggle. He is just one of the 38,000 veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States.

And yet, despite the fact that he can barely rub two pennies together, he was willing to give everything he had to help a fellow human in need.

And now? Thanks to one man and the power of social media, his tiny handful of change has just multiplied three thousand-fold.

One Homeless Veteran’s Simple Act of Kindness Proves That’s All It Takes to Change a Life

In a TikTok video that has gone viral, Roy is approached by a stranger asking him for a dollar so he can buy a donut or some bread. Roy knows he doesn't have a dollar to spare but it doesn't stop him from digging into his pocket and handing over the little he does have — 27 cents.

"Sometimes I wind up giving every dime and then I find more money," Roy tells the stranger.

Turns out that stranger is actually social media star, Jimmy Kellogg, known as Jimmy Darts to his 14 million followers. And Roy? He is about to find a whole lot of money.

On any given day, Darts, a 26-year-old Minnesota native, films himself asking a stranger for a small favor. Sometimes it's to ask for money to buy a meal or sometimes it borders on the ridiculous, like asking someone to wash his toy car or hold his fake toucan and feed it Froot Loops in Walmart.

While most people refuse his request, every once in a while he meets a good samaritan willing to lend a helping hand. When he does, he rewards the unsuspecting person for their good deed with $500 cash. Or more.

On this particular day, that good samaritan is Roy.

Darts is so moved by Roy's selflessness that he immediately hands over $500 in cash. At first, Roy is skeptical, asking if Darts is going to report him for stealing the money.

Eventually, he accepts the money, saying he'll use some of it to stay in a hotel and take a bath — but not before he makes certain that Darts is taken care of as well.

"You have a place to stay too?" he asks Darts. (This man is seriously a national treasure.)

Stranger Raises $68,000 for Homeless Veteran

Not only does Darts give Roy $500, but he decides to go one step further. Unbeknownst to Roy, he starts a GoFundMe campaign called "Help Roy A Homeless Veteran Off The Streets!" He sets the goal to $20,000.

"Let’s change his life forever and raise enough funds for Roy to get a vehicle and a place to stay! No veteran should have to be homeless on the streets!" Darts writes on the page.

The masses agree.

Less than 12 hours later, the goal is smashed. And today, the fund is sitting at $68,000 and still climbing.

One Good Turn Deserves Another

In a follow-up TikTok, Darts meets up with Roy 12 hours after they first met. Before sharing the life-changing news, Roy heartbreakingly tells the TikToker, "If I was to swim out there and drown, nobody would even care. I thought, well, you know, eventually my son would find out. He'd care a bit. But that's about it."

"That's the biggest lie on the planet," Darts tells him before revealing that his followers are gifting him over $35,000.

Shocked and fighting back tears, Roy can't believe it.

"Wow...I'm glad I didn't drown, I would have missed out on a blessing I wouldn't have even realized."

Roy Jurina

And that's the thing about life, isn't it? We never know what it has in store for us.

But if we just keep going...if we help each other and don't lose touch with our humanity, despite whatever it is that life throws our way...we have the power to truly make a difference, in others' lives as well as our own — one simple act of kindness at a time.

More from Goalcast:

• 8-Year-Old Passes by Homeless Woman Sleeping on the Street Every Day – This Encounter Inspires Her

• Homeless Couple Couldn’t Afford to Get Married for 24 Years – Then a Stranger Throws Them a Surprise Wedding