Man found a wallet full of cash while picking up trash and handed it to police — days later, his wife sent him something he never expected
The first instinct for many people after finding cash lying on the road might be to keep it. But not everyone would do that. One man who documents his litter-cleaning walks on Instagram found a wallet full of cash while cleaning up around South Portland. His first move was to check the ID inside to find the owner's address and return it. Luckily, there was a police officer nearby, so he handed over the wallet and asked him to return it to the owner. Content creator Ben Michaud, who goes by @ploggarun, shared the story on November 10, 2026, saying he'd almost forgotten about the encounter until his wife sent him a screenshot that completely made his day.
Ben shared a video from the previous week, when he had been out plogging, picking up litter around South Portland, and came across a wallet full of cash. He checked inside for identification and found that the owner lived just over a mile away. Ben then spotted a police officer in the area and handed him the wallet, asking him to return it to its owner. Ben said it had slipped his mind until his wife sent him a screenshot the morning he posted the video. It was a post from the stranger whose wallet he had found, thanking the person who returned it.
The owner wrote, "Last week I lost my wallet, but not for long. A kind man found it and brought it to the police station with every last penny still in it." They also expressed their gratitude to Ben for his kindness. The post deeply moved him. The owner went on to explain that the police officer hadn't gotten Ben's name but remembered that he ran a lot around South Portland and carried a yellow bag. They ended the post by writing, "If that was you and you see this, thank you so very much. Or if you happen to cross his path, thank him for me." It was a heartfelt message of gratitude from someone who had clearly been relieved to get their wallet back with everything still inside.
Ben's experience also caught the attention of people in the comments, many of whom praised him for doing the right thing. @pellizzaricarole wrote, “May God bless you for your kindness and your honesty,” while @777_gehko encouraged him to “Keep spreading positivity!” Others said his actions had restored some of their faith in people. @kwcurry shared, “Renewing my faith in mankind. Thank you for being honest and doing the right thing.”
A simple act of kindness can make a real difference in someone's day, and research suggests that the benefits can extend to the person offering help, too. A 2023 study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology followed 363 participants over seven days and found that helping others was generally linked to greater well-being. The researchers also found that feeling appreciated by the person receiving help could make that positive effect even stronger. In Ben's case, the message offered a glimpse of how much his honesty had meant to the person who lost the wallet.
For more of his wholesome content, you can follow @ploggarun on Instagram.