Online fundraiser for blind can collector

Mr Kippler is a 'professional dumpster diver for cans', he says

An online fundraiser has been organised for a blind man who collects tin cans to sell as scrap metal to support his four granddaughters, US media report.

JB Kibbler, dubbed the Can Man, is a Vietnam War veteran who earns about $100 (£80) per month collecting aluminium cans in Memphis, Tennessee.

A motorist started a GoFundMe campaign after seeing Mr Kibbler, 65, at a petrol station.

The campaign had raised nearly $30,000 by Friday afternoon.

The fundraiser began with a $20 bill that local musician Matt White recently gave Mr Kibbler after seeing him digging in refuse for cans by a garage forecourt.

The granddaughters have also received toys and clothing as gifts

When asked if he was homeless, Mr Kibbler said he lived in the area and is "a professional dumpster diver for cans".

He said he uses the meagre income to supplement his disability money to "keep the lights on" and care for his four grandchildren.

Mr Kibbler, whose wife died two years ago, lives with the girls, aged five, six, eight and 10, in a low-income part of town, where they do not even have a door in their bathroom, reports Inside Edition.

He said that despite being legally blind, he is able to collect tin cans "by the grace of God".

He earns about 40p per pound of his precious metal, and has been making his living this way for the past 25 years, according to the GoFundMe page.

"That's all I can do. I can't go out and get a job or nothing 'cause I can't see well enough," he said of his job, which he said he does eight hours a day, seven days a week.

The online campaign was reportedly launched without Mr Kibbler's knowledge.

In this local news report, he is astounded to learn about the tens of thousands of dollars that have been raised for him.

Mr White also raised funds for Memphis teenager Chauncy Jones Black, who lives with his disabled mother.

An online campaign raised over $340,000 for him.

The charitable fundraiser follows similar crowd-sourcing campaigns, including a recent one raised $380,000 for an elderly Chicago popsicle vendor.