A Secret Santa in Phoenix, Arizona enlisted the help of an unlikely elf to spread some Christmas cheer earlier this week.

An anonymous, kind-hearted businessman asked a homeless man named Moses Elder to hand out $100 bills to complete strangers who he believed demonstrated kindness or a need for generosity.

Elder was given $3,000 in total for his mission, and he started by standing on the street and holding out a cup to ask pedestrians for loose change. Some people hurried past him, while others stopped and offered him their money – and those who did were in for a complete surprise.

In exchange for acknowledging him, Elder would hand them a $100 bill and thank them for their "kind heart", or he would simply exclaim "God bless" as they parted ways – and many people who received the cash gifts had to fight back tears.

Most of them didn't expect someone who is homeless to offer anything back, and that's the exact notion that the Secret Santa wanted to expel with his gift-giving.

"You know, it's a myth that the homeless just take. From my experience, the people with the least give the most of what they have," the Secret Santa told CBS News.

One of the people who received cash from Elder was Danny McCoy, a father of 7 kids who was struggling to provide Christmas gifts for his family.

While most of Elder's cash recipients where strangers, he did offer some money to two people he knew from church. One man received $400, while a homeless mother-of-five received $500.

Needless to say, Santa was sure to give Elder some money as well, but the homeless man said that the best part of the entire experience was being able to show kindness and help others in need.

"Today we changed a lot of people's lives. But I believe my life was changed the most," Elder told CBS News – and his holiday benefactor would agree.

"You know, kindness is a bridge between all people, so if you're ever down, and you want to lift yourself up, go do something kind for somebody," said the Secret Santa.

(WATCH the emotional footage below)

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