The recent gesture of a homeless man to donate what little he had to a church in Charlotte, North Carolina made headlines and inspired the faithful to believe that kindness can happen everywhere.

According to Pastor Patrick Hamrick, of the First United Methodist Church, the extraordinary story began when a volunteer called his attention one Sunday to show him an envelope left in the collection plate with a short message on it.

"Please don't be mad. I don't have much. I'm Homeless. God Bless," read the message. The envelope contained a total of 18 cents, reported NBC Charlotte.

"It took some bravery I think to write that down and say don't be mad but I'm homeless, God bless. But I still want to give. And for us, we acknowledge that individual gave out of his poverty proportionally a big deal," the pastor said. "Simple but powerful? I think this represents a sacrificial gift."

It came as no surprise for the church to see homeless people in the pews because of its Muffin Ministry, a church project that feeds at least 150 homeless people from the local area every Sunday. The programme has been running for seven years already, but the pastor said the humble gift moved everyone who heard the story of the homeless man's donation. 

Based on a report from Fox, after finding the envelope, Pastor Hamrick tried to reach out to the donor through WBTV.

"We would like the dear soul who donated 18 cents to know that everyone on our team was moved by the spirit in which the gift was made. We gratefully acknowledge that this individual, out of his poverty, has given all he had to live on," he said.

Last Thursday, the church received a voice message from the homeless man, saying he saw the news about his donation online.

The pastor was able to track him down to a nearby soup kitchen and personally thank the man for his donation.

According to the pastor, the man told him that "the gift was between him, the church and God."

"I thanked him for all he has done and assured him that we honour his intent and his dignity," the pastor said.