An anonymous philanthropist has left more than $55,000 hidden around Salem, Oregon, surprising anyone who find his $100 dollar bills hidden in everything from candy bars to baby wipes.

His random acts of monetary kindness has triggered a wave of people paying it forward for others with their lucky finds.

He's been nicknamed "Benny," after Benjamin Franklin, who appears on the bills he's left for strangers to find since, at least, 2013.

Tammy Tompkins found a "Benny" bill in a package of cereal she purchased for baking Christmas treats in 2013. Her husband was sick and medical bills were piling up.

"It just made my day," she told the Statesman Journal. "I cried happy tears for about an hour and a half."

Capi Lynn, the newspaper columnist who gave the anonymous "Benny" his name, has been tracking his gifts for years. She says about half the people who find his money pay it forward, mostly to food banks, animal rescue groups, and schools.

A pair of boys used the $100 bill they found in a store's toy bin to buy toys for a children's group. Still others have used their "Benny" bills to for gifts ranging from giving homeless people a few nights in a hotel to a contribution for victims of the Orlando shooting.

(WATCH the video below from USA Today and READ more at the Washington Post) — Photo: USA Today video

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