After 20 years as a server in the restaurant industry in Miami, Angeline Rodriguez’s uncle was laid off in March due to coronavirus shutdowns. As a result, he was left with bills he was unable to pay, including his rent.

On Wednesday, Ms. Rodriguez posted to her Twitter account about her struggle getting rent assistance for her uncle and MSN picked up the story:

have spent all morning trying to get my uncle rent assistance and would just like to reiterate being a landlord is not real work

— angeline rodriguez (@gelrdrgz) December 30, 2020

Best-selling author Shea Serrano, who looks for opportunities to lend a helping hand to those in need, became aware of Angeline’s Tweet and shared it with his 480k followers, who he calls the FOH (F*** Outta Here) Army.

if it ends up not working out just post a venmo or cashapp or whatever and i'll make sure it gets taken care of

🙌 https://t.co/u9uC7jXvCR

— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) December 30, 2020

Shortly after this post, he Tweeted again saying he had a just sent Angeline some money through a cash app, and encouraged his followers to do the same:

let’s do a good thing today

the homie @gelrdrgz is trying to help her uncle pay his rent

they just need $475 to pay it for the month but i’ll bet we can knock a few months out for them

send a couple dollars to help out

venmo: (@)angeline-rodriguez
cashapp: $gelrdrgz

🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) December 30, 2020

What followed was a chain reaction of kindness, with donations quickly flowing in at an incredible rate. Less than two hours after her initial post, the $475 Angeline was looking to get help in covering had turned into $2,500, thanks to Serrano and his FOH.

Shocked and overwhelmed, Ms. Rodriguez posted and update that said: “guys i’m crying right now, @SheaSerrano and the FOH army are the only public assistance recognize bc right now we are up to 2.5k which is what my uncle owes for the last few months with late fees. he was laid off in march—here he is in happier times!”

guys i’m crying right now, @SheaSerrano and the FOH army are the only public assistance recognize bc right now we are up to 2.5k which is what my uncle owes for the last few months with late fees. he was laid off in march—here he is in happier times! https://t.co/FaIIq1BVuZ pic.twitter.com/yMWWBv3l6l

— angeline rodriguez (@gelrdrgz) December 30, 2020

Angeline couldn’t wait to share the news with her uncle, and after he got home from a 10-hour shift at his new job, she called him over FaceTime and captured his emotional reaction:

On Thursday, she posted a a heartwarming text exchange with her uncle where she told him to check his bank account, and he responded with “OMG good morning I have a stimulus check from my angel i love it. and thanks to all of you.” She said he doesn’t completely understand what’s going on and how it happened, but he feels a relief he hasn’t experienced in months.

What a great example of the power of social media, and how one act of kindness can have a far-reaching effect.