Iowa businessman posing as homeless rewards people's aid JOHNSTON, Iowa -- A Des Moines
businessman gave away nearly $1,000 while
posing as a homeless man - by rewarding
people who paused to help him. Jonnie Wright stood in the frigid weather
on Christmas Eve at a busy intersection in
the Des Moines suburb of Johnston, according to CBS affiliate KCCI in Des
Moines. People who rolled down their vehicle windows to help him got a sealed
envelope in return. Inside the envelope were a $10 or $100 bill
and a letter from the man, Jonnie Wright. It
explained that he wasn't homeless. It said
he just wanted to pay back people who
helped others. "I thought this was also a way to
acknowledge those who give, who do so
anonymously," Wright said. In his letter, Wright encouraged the people
to use the money as they wished or to pay it
forward. "I was blown away," said Rob Taylor, of
West Des Moines, who opened his envelope
later that day. "As a matter of fact, the first
thing that I did was call my wife on the
phone and I could hardly talk to her on the
phone. I said, 'You wouldn't believe what just happened to me.'" Taylor said he appreciated the gesture. "For my family, it reminded everyone what
the meaning of Christmas was and it wasn't
about gifts, it's about giving back," Taylor
said. Wright said he handed out 50 envelopes
and gave away nearly $1,000. He doubled the money he was given and
gave it to Bethel Mission, a homeless shelter. "This has been a bucket-list thing for me for
some time," Wright said. "I always knew I
wanted to give back.