Lani encounters Jimmy Darts at Walmart in Arizona. Photo from Darts' GoFundMe

A video of a heartwarming encounter at a Walmart in Chandler, Arizona involving a kind Filipina has gone viral online. 

Lani Benavidez, originally from Naic, Cavite but now based in Arizona, was caught on camera giving help to a stranger in need -- who turned out to be social media influencer Jimmy Darts. 

In the video, Darts can be seen approaching Benavidez, saying he has not eaten the whole day. He asked if she could give him any amount so that he could buy a box of cereal for himself.

Without hesitation, Benavidez gave Darts $2 (about P117). Unknown to her, she was already a part of a social experiment that aims to show acts of kindness online. 

Darts then surprised Benavidez by returning a box of cereal containing $1,000 (about P58,620), causing the latter to cry in shock and open up about her struggles -- in particular, not having enough money to care for her husband who is suffering from cancer.

Moved by the Filipina's efforts, Darts launched a fundraising campaign for her which quickly gained widespread support. In a follow-up video, Darts went to Dollar Tree where Benavidez works and surprised her with the money from his fundraiser -- the initial $50,000 (about P2.9 million) provided her family with much-needed relief. 

According to Benavidez, the total amount raised so far is $93,000 (around (P5.4 million), with donations coming in daily to her bank account. 

"Every day may pumapasok sa bank account ko hanggang ngayon... I am grateful kasi hindi kami pinababayaan ng Diyos," she said. 

In an interview, Benavidez' son Kyle reacted to the viral video of her mother, saying: "Watching my mom in one of Jimmy's videos made me cry a lot and feel that there are still beautiful people in the world," he said. 

When asked about the most important lesson that his mother taught him, he replied: "Whatever your feelings are, always be courteous to others and help them since you never know who will help you in return."