Leong, the son of a pastor with no fixed salary, said he too had come from a poor family. At times, he recalled, they had been forced to depend on the goodwill of others.

“Her story really hit me. She took nothing for herself,” the 79-year-old told FMT.

“I understand poverty. I know how hard it can be when you are at the mercy of everyone. When I read her story, I was like, ‘What can I do?'”

Twenty-five-year-old Chong Ann Ni was convicted of stealing the products worth RM291.39 at a department store in Mid Valley Megamall in June.

She was reportedly driven to the offence as her husband had lost his job six months ago.

She served five days in jail after a judge halved the initial 10-day sentence.

After reading her story, Leong, who has been with the Young Men’s Christian Association for 61 years, decided to do something.

He shared the story with his friends, asking if they would be willing to lend a helping hand. He also got in touch with FMT, which put him in contact with Chong’s lawyer.

The father of three managed to collect RM810 which was wired to Chong in the hope of bringing some relief to her and her baby girl, who is 15 months old.

He showed FMT a text message from Chong in which she thanked “the good Samaritan” for his help.

“We will return the favour to others in need in the near future,” she added.

When asked if he intended to continue helping Chong, Leong said there is no end to helping people.

“Whatever we can do, we will try,” he said, adding that he hoped Chong would get back on her feet.