Mom Says ‘I Almost Cried’ After a Stranger Returned Her Son’s Wallet

Mom Says ‘I Almost Cried’ After a Stranger Returned Her Son’s Cash-Filled Wallet: ‘Kindness Goes a Long Way'

The wallet had all of the tips the owner had earned the weekend before St. Patrick's Day

Published on March 22, 2025 06:00PM EDT

Man with wallet with cash — A man taking a $20 dollar bill out of his wallet (stock image). Photo:
Getty

A Michigan family was shocked by a small act of kindness on St. Patrick's Day.

On Monday, March 17, Michelle Johnson was looking through her surveillance camera when she spotted a man who she didn't know standing on her front porch in Wyandotte, local news outlet WXYZ-TV Detroit reported.

When the man was gone, she went outside to investigate and found he had left her 25-year-old son's lost wallet on the porch with everything inside, including almost $100 cash. The elementary school teacher told the outlet the man had even hidden it in a way that no other passerby might take it.

"You might not realize what something small does for someone else, but even the smallest act of kindness goes a long way," Johnson told WXYZ.

Wallet drop on the road when walking — A man walking in front of a lost wallet (stock image).
Getty

The man was later identified as 26-year-old Donnie Hanson, a realtor, who was on his way to work when he saw the wallet on the ground, per the outlet.

Johnson and Hanson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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"I was on 17th Street [in Wyandotte, a suburb of Detroit and saw] it in the middle of the road, and all I was thinking was, 'Oh, someone had a great St. Patrick's Day,' " Hanson told WXYZ.

"I can’t believe this was just lying in the middle of the road," he continued. "I just found the ID, and I was like, you know what, yup, gotta get this back.”

He said that he previously lost his wallet and wished that someone had done him the same favor.

Johnson revealed that her son works at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and had made the $100 in cash tips the day before. "That was all of the tips he had made," she told WXYZ.

She explained that her son, a University of Michigan-Dearborn student, was getting gas on Monday afternoon when it must have fallen out of his pocket.

"I almost cried. I know that sounds silly, but it was nice," she said of Hanson's act of kindness.

WXYZ-TV Detroit viewers shared their opinions in the comment section of a clip shared on YouTube video, with one saying "Speaks volumes to the world we live in when doing the right thing becomes news."

"There's still good in this world," another person commented.