A lot of people do not trust homeless people, believing these unfortunate ones would not hesitate to take their valuables to sell for some quick cash to buy food or things they need. But a lot of these homeless folks have also proven this false, having returned valuables that many owners didn’t even think they could get back again.
Homeless man Paul Calderbank found a bag outside a pub one night in Bolton, England; it contained an iPhone, $300, and some personal stuff. While he could have easily sold the phone and made use of the cash as he didn’t have money to buy food, the thought did not even cross Calderbank’s mind.
Photo credit: Daisy Owen – Facebook / NTD TV
Instead, he embarked on a 2-day ‘detective’ journey as he tried to locate the bag’s owner, 20-year-old Daisy Owen. He asked the young girls who passed by near the pub if they knew someone who lost a bag and what her name is; sometimes he would ask them whether they knew a Daisy Owen.
Just in case he would be mistakenly arrested for ‘stealing’ the bag, the wrote a note and taped it outside the bag to explain why the bag came into his possession and what he’s planning to do to return it to the rightful owner.
Just in case he wouldn’t find the owner soon, Calderbank even planned to walk all the way to Owen’s address in Breightmet, about 4 kilometers away.
On his second day of playing detective, he chanced upon someone who knew Owen. This guy quickly messaged his friend on Facebook, telling her a homeless man had been asking about her because he had her bag.
Owen immediately went to Bolton to find Calderbank but couldn’t find him. She was almost ready to give up when she finally found him; although he didn’t immediately give her the bag as he asked a lot of questions just to determine that she really was the owner.
Satisfied that she proved herself, Calderbank would hand her the bag which also contained the handwritten note.
For his honesty, Owen rewarded Calderbank by setting up a crowdfunding campaign for him. The page has raised around $3,000!
Owen said, “At the moment he is staying in a hostel, but he can’t afford it anymore so I either want to put the money towards a deposit on flat or few months at the hostel.”
For being honest, Calderbank received great rewards that he definitely didn’t expect.