Getting showered with gifts by your loved ones is always an awesome way of celebrating your birthday, but for one Maltese man, his special day was instead the perfect opportunity to do some for others.

In order to celebrate his birthday this year, Nicholas Martinelli did something out of the ordinary. Unlike most people, instead of accepting gifts, Martinelli decided to set up a fundraiser and collected over €800 in donations for the Foodbank Lifeline Malta.

Taking inspiration from Facebook’s fundraising feature, Martinelli took to social media to announce that he will be collecting donations for his birthday.

“Basically the idea behind it was similar to the Facebook fundraisers, but I wanted to target a local organisation,” Martinelli told Lovin Malta. “For some of us, a small donation won’t usually make a difference in our day-to-day life, but for people seeking assistance from this organisation, it is a blessing!”

Foodbank Lifeline Malta helps people who struggle to make ends meet by providing them with food in the short-run until a long-term solution is found.

So to kick things off, Martinelli donated a total of €100 from his own pocket. What followed was a beautiful tidal way of charity.

Friends and strangers alike took to Martinelli’s call to action and donations started pouring in. In the span of three days, Martinelli managed to raise a total of €800.

“Numerous people sent donations, all in their own capacity obviously,” he smiled. “I did not expect to collect over €200, let alone €800!”

Martinelli smashed his fundraising goal and used the money he raised to go on a three-hour shopping spree, buying food and other goods that will be donated to the charity and families in need.