Families living on a housing estate in Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives (Calvados) have been targeted by a mystery benefactor, who has been posting envelopes of cash through their letterboxes.

The anonymous donor has been delivering the donations in plain envelopes marked simply: “In the name of the Lord”. The envelopes typically contain €40 for each adult in the household and €20 per child.

The gifts have been arriving in several dozen families’ letter boxes overnight, accompanied by Christian texts including the Lord’s Prayer.

The donations were brought to the attention of the local police when one of the recipients took the envelope to a police station, concerned that the cash was counterfeit or a scam.

Officers have tracked down the woman behind made the donations, who wishes to remain anonymous and has apparently made similar cash gifts to low-income families before. Police say she has done nothing illegal, and merely wanted “to help people in need”.

It is understood she picked Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives because it was one of the towns worst-hit by the 1999 storms, which forced many families out of their homes over the Christmas period.