STATE COLLEGE, Pa. >> A man living on the streets in central Pennsylvania has returned a lost purse containing nearly $400 to its owner — a single mother who is on welfare and battling brain cancer.

The man tells WJAC-TV on Thursday that he was sitting on a bench in State College waiting to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting when he saw the handbag.

He says he opened up the wallet and saw a public assistance debit card and knew the owner was struggling, too. He turned the purse over to a homeless shelter, which tracked down the woman.

The homeless man and the purse’s owner met Thursday and exchanged hugs and smiles. The woman says her whole life is in the bag and she was grateful to have it back.