A dad's faith in humanity was restored when a man appeared outside Primark.
Karl Egington, 50, was stood under the shop's cover as rain fell when the stranger approached a group huddled on Church Street in Liverpool city centre.
The man thrust £70 into their hands, pausing for a group photo before making off, telling the group to "keep it up".
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Karl said: "It's not like that every night, but when it is, that's amazing.
The dad of two added: "It restores your faith in humanity, because, I know he was drunk, but he was walking past. He didn't have to stop.
"He was probably showing off with his girl there with all the money, but that doesn't matter.
"It just proves that there are nice people."
Stood next to him in a hi-vis vest, Anneka Oates said: "Our freezers are empty, so now we've got that, I know we've got meals for next week."
The mum of four added: "We've got a hundred people fed. They've got a hot drink, they've got a dessert and they've got a meal for next week now."
Karl is a team leader with Liverpool In Arms at Night, a group founded by Anneka just over a year ago.
The group feeds the homeless in Liverpool city centre two nights a week, setting up around 7.30pm outside Primark on Church Street on Mondays and Fridays.
On Monday, December 13, the group served sandwiches, fruit, fish pie and chicken curry, made by volunteers from Garston, Speke, Kensington and Hunt's Cross.
Karl and another volunteer often venture out into wind and rain to take bags of food to people wary of leaving their home for the night.
He told the ECHO: "A lot of people know we're here now, so they'll come down.
"But you'll get people who are too shy or too vulnerable, and they'll stay where they are.
"We know that there are a few girls who will stay in the doorways. They won't come out.
"There are other people who won't come down. They don't come out of the doorway because they'll lose it. Somebody else will just go in and take it."
Many of the people who get food from the Church Street stall are adults, some in their 50s or older.
But some rough sleepers are children.
Karl said: "We've been getting lads and girls, 15, 16. I've got a son who's 16. I've got a daughter who's 12.
"I can only think, 'Why? Why is it allowed? Why are they on the streets?'"
Emergency funding was deployed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that rough sleepers were placed in safe, secure accommodation.
Homelessness was ended for 934 households in Liverpool, and a further 100 were matched to new accommodation.
But Liverpool City Council closed its emergency night shelter, Labre House, during the pandemic, and funding for the emergency Everyone In scheme eventually ended.
People working in the sector have seen a rise in people sleeping on the streets as we head into the winter months.
As we talked, a man walked up to Anneka with a black bin bag filled with a soggy sleeping bag and a pillow.
Anneka said: "You can imagine the amount of sleeping bags we go through, especially in weather like this. Wet sleeping bags.
"Not always, but if I have a spare day, I'll come into town just with sleeping bags in a trolley and I'll go around to see who needs one."
There are homeless hostels where people can stay dry, but they often cost money, and some people don't feel safe staying in them.
One man who is a regular at the Liverpool In Arms at Night table is an army veteran who's been left with post-traumatic stress disorder from his time serving in Bosnia and the Gulf War.
The 52-year-old told the ECHO: "They're a good team. They help you and they care. They look out for you.
"One of them gave me a sleeping bag the other week, so I was grateful.
"But I've been cold mate, I've been tired."
He "can't do hostel life" though.
The man said: "It'll kill me off lad. I've done hostels.
"Your benefits go to them, they take their service charge out and give you what's left.
"Then you get people knocking on your door, asking you for money, ciggies, drugs.
"I don't do drugs, I don't drink alcohol or anything like that.
"You end up arguing with them."
On Monday night, he was being given shelter from the rain at his friend's place.
But often he's on the streets, and the streets are hardly safe.
A couple of weeks ago, he was headbutted in an attack on him and his friend.
Many of the Liverpool In Arms at Night volunteers have done sleep outs in city centre doorways to raise funds, and even to get donations of survival kits to hand out to homeless people.
Jacqui, who was serving food with her daughter, said: "What we learned from it was how vulnerable you can be on the streets when you're lying on the floor."
She added: "You're lying there in your sleeping bag, and although you've got your team around you and you know that you're safe, your mind is telling you that you've still got to be wary of who's around you.
"Anything can happen. Your mind's telling you, 'Hold on a minute, you're lying on the floor, you can hear footsteps, you can hear glass bottles being dropped, you can hear people shouting'.
"You just don't realise how vulnerable you are."
Not everyone who gets help from Liverpool In Arms at Night is a rough sleeper.
Some stay in hostels or couch surf.
Other have flats in temporary accommodation but have no money left after paying for rent and bills.
But the volunteers don't discriminate.
Team leader Karl told the ECHO: "It's a human person that shouldn't be in that situation.
"Our government shouldn't be allowing it. They shouldn't be allowing it.
"And yet, you've seen it tonight. How many? And this is nothing. A hundred odd.
"Sometimes we've had 120 people, and that was in the summer.
"Now it's going to get worse, especially after Christmas because fewer and fewer people give."
For now, at least, they can look forward to Christmas Eve on Church Street, and the warm meals a nearby restaurant offered to make.
