Ledyard King and Fredreka Schouten

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Who gives money to a billionaire?

The owner of a health food store in Naples, Fla. A retired phone company worker in Mesa, Ariz. The owner of a mobile-home park in Carson City, Nev.

And hundreds more scattered across the 50 states.

Newly released campaign-finance records show about 2,300 donations from individuals during the final three months of 2015 to Donald Trump's presidential campaign even as he touted his ability — and desire — to self-fund because he doesn't want to be seen as bought by special interests.

For Tony Kapnisis, it was a bit of selfishness.

"It makes me feel good to do that," said the owner of Nature’s Garden, a health food store in Naples. "I know it sounds stupid. He doesn't need the money. But, hey, I did it for me.”

Kapnisis, who contributed $389 to the real estate mogul last year, said it would be refreshing to have someone outside of government run the country for a change.

"Look who’s running now. Has anybody else created a single job? Nobody," Kapnisis said. "We need someone who knows how to create jobs. That’s what I did all my life. And I see that’s exactly what he does.”

Neal Dietzman, a retired network technician for a phone company, paid the Trump campaign $218 for some hats emblazoned with the candidate's "Make American Great Again" catchphrase.

The Mesa Republican says Trump can be a little bombastic, but "the guy is saying what everybody thinks," and he's connecting with people in a way other candidates are not.

"People are voting for him. People care about what he says, and they're listening to him. And they’re supporting him by buying hats," Dietzman said with a chuckle.

Under federal election rules, buying campaign swag counts as a political donation because the goods generally cost candidates only a fraction of their retail price. A version of the bright-red cap Trump often wears at his rallies sells for $30 at his campaign's online store.

Merchandise sales are crucial to politicians, driving traffic to their websites and money to their campaigns. Candidates can bombard people who buy hats and T-shirts with emails, soliciting more contributions. The swag also helps advertise campaigns, said Bob Biersack, a former Federal Election Commission official who works with the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The caps are "like moving Trump billboards that wander the streets," he said. "Who else in politics is better at branding than Donald Trump?"

Donald Trump loaned his campaign $10.8 million at end of year (because he can)

By no means is Trump the biggest fundraiser among the 2016 contenders. He collected $13.6 million during the last three months of 2015 — trailing rivals Ben Carson, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Of Trump's total, $10.8 million came from interest-free loans he made to the campaign.

The Federal Election Commission report shows Trump received about $2.6 million from individuals, almost all of it from people who contributed $200 or less.

Trump regularly touts his independence from lobbyists and other special interests. After his second-place finish in Iowa, he took to Twitter to complain that he hasn't been "given any credit by voters for self-funding my campaign."

The filings reflect details only on contributors who donated more than $200.

About a quarter of Trump's reported year-end donations come from retirees, the filings show. The others run the gamut, including a government bank examiner in Winthrop, Mass., a flight attendant in Las Vegas and a CVS store manager in Trump's hometown of New York City. Not surprisingly, California and Florida and other states with big populations accounted for the largest share of his contributions.

Blair Allen, who owns a mobile-home park that caters to senior citizens in Carson City, said she's drawn to Trump because she wants to elect "someone who isn't owned" by anyone. Allen, who calls herself a pro-choice Republican, has donated $583 to Trump and said she plans to write more checks.

She's also decided to serve as a Trump delegate during Nevada's Republican caucuses Feb. 23.

"I think someone needs to step in and stop the cronyism," she said. "He's like a beacon of strength and hope."

Contributing: Christopher Schnaars