Alan Barnes, who is visually impaired, was left too afraid to return to his home in Low Fell, Gateshead, after the attack on 25 January.
Mr Barnes, 67, broke his collarbone when he was pushed to the ground.
Following reports of the attack, Katie Cutler set up the Help Alan Barnes online donation page on Go Fund Me.
During the meeting at Mr Barnes's sister's house, Ms Cutler presented him with chocolates and a card, and he told her she would be a friend for life.
When she set up the page, Ms Cutler's aim was to raise £500 but that was quickly passed and by noon on Saturday it had reached £100,000.
The total passed £279,000 shortly after 08:00 GMT on Monday, by which time more than 20,000 donations had been made.
The donations have come in from the UK, Canada, Holland and many other places around the world, with many praising Ms Cutler for setting up the page.
Ms Cutler, a beautician, said it showed "there are so many lovely people out there".
"This person that hurt Alan is just a minority."
Mr Barnes, who has lived with disabilities from birth after his mother contracted German measles when she was pregnant, said it was "just unbelievable".
"I've heard of fundraising for charities but I've only got a fractured collarbone, I didn't expect that sort of response," he said.
"Thank you doesn't really seem to answer it, does it?"
Stephen, who donated £5, said: "So sorry this has happened to you dear friend, I know it's not a lot, but hope it goes a long way."
Rupert wrote: "There are bad people in this world, people that wouldn't think twice of abusing a vulnerable man.
"But as this shows, those people are engulfed by good, caring and loving people that stand against these morals."
There have also been offers of practical help from plumbers, electricians, bathroom and kitchen fitters, carpet layers and people donating furniture, Ms Cutler said.
She also wrote on the fundraising site that businesses and schools had told her they were holding fundraising events for Mr Barnes.
Mr Barnes's family said that the money would go into a trust fund for him.

Baraclough, 46, takes over from Jim Magilton, who remains the Irish Football Association's elite performance director.
The new under-21 manager moves into the post after leaving his role as assistant to Oldham boss John Sheridan.
"I am looking forward to working with young players in Northern Ireland," said Baraclough.
"I will be aiming to help the team be successful in qualifying and also to help develop future senior internationals."
Baraclough had a 20-year playing career which saw him play for QPR, Notts County and Scunthorpe United.
He became Scunthorpe manager in 2010 before moving to Sligo Rovers two years later, where he guided the Irish club to the League of Ireland title plus FAI Cup and Setanta Cup triumphs.
After being appointed Motherwell manager, he kept the club in the Scottish Premier League and was then handed the Oldham assistant's role after departing from the SPL outfit.
Northern Ireland senior manager Michael O'Neill said Baraclough would be a "great addition to our international coaching team".
"We were looking for a candidate with good coaching and management experience and Ian certainly fits the bill given his previous roles as both a manager and assistant manager," said O'Neill.
Northern Ireland's Under-21s have never progressed to a European Championship Finals and finished last in their previous qualifying group after picking up only two points from 10 matches.
Baraclough's Under-21 side have have been drawn with Albania, Estonia, Iceland, Slovakia and Spain in their 2019 UEFA European Championship qualifying group.
The Northern Irish begin their campaign against Estonia in Tallinn on 8 June.
A woman who set up a fundraising page for a man who was mugged outside his home has met the victim as donations approached £300,000.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
Former Motherwell and Sligo Rovers boss Ian Baraclough has been appointed the new Northern Ireland Under-21 manager.