(Image source: Columbia Missourian)

BY EMILY SPAIN

You're watching multisource U.S. news analysis from Newsy.

Tis the season of giving, but one 80-year-old man gave a bit more to charity than he planned on -- his entire life savings.

The man donated clothes to Goodwill in Moline, Illinois including a gray suit with 13,000 dollars sewn into the lining.  Why a suit for a piggy bank?  The man doesn’t trust banks.

Now the man who remains anonymous is pleading for the return of the coat because he needs the money to help care for his wife with stage 4 cancer.
And as WQAD reports people in the community feel for him.

GOODWILL CUSTOMER: “Us old people forget things. Sure, he could have done it easily.”
REPORTER: “Goodwill says it doesn’t know if the coat has been sold to anybody or not, but right now is combing through piles of clothes here in its warehouse in Iowa City.”

In true holiday spirit, the community now wants to give back to the generous octogenarian.
But according to ABC he doesn’t want the pity. His daughter released this statement:

“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity from around the world. My father’s wishes are to respectfully decline any donations of any kind. He only wanted someone to come forward with the money he gave away in error.”

A writer for the Stir notes he’s not getting off that easy and should accept people’s sympathy and money.

“It's like the time your kid sneaks out of time-out when he really shouldn't ... because his brother is crying, and he wanted to comfort him. You can't send him back to time-out! You have to wrap him up in a big ol' hug and say, ‘You are the greatest, kiddo.’ Same goes for this guy.”

The man and his daughter searched the store for the suit with no luck and Goodwill employees are still searching through more than 575,000 donations. If someone did end up buying it, the man’s daughter is offering a $1,000 reward for its return.

Transcript by Newsy.