A simple act of kindness has turned into something extraordinary for a 78-year-old DoorDash driver, whose story has now gone viral and may have changed his life entirely.
It all started when Brittany Smith, from Manchester, Tennessee, noticed her daughter’s father had ordered Starbucks for their daughter on Tuesday.
“I was actually mad about it, because he often orders Starbucks for her, but we try to do it as more of a reward, and this was the third time he had ordered for her in the week,” Brittany told The Independent.
When she checked her Ring doorbell, she was taken aback to see a “little old man walking up the steps” to deliver her daughter’s Starbucks order.
“This poor guy is struggling to get up my stairs to deliver my very capable daughter her Starbucks,” she says, according to VT, adding: “My daughter’s dad is a quadriplegic, so he often has things sent to the house because he can’t physically go get them.”
Seeing the man struggle, Brittany wanted to make sure he received a bigger tip, but her daughters dad couldn’t adjust it through the app. She then turned to social media, posting a 20-second clip of the 78-year-old man, whose name is Richard.
The video went viral
The video quickly caught the attention of a Facebook user who recognized him, as he frequently delivers DoorDash orders to her office, and shared his full name, which Brittany has kept private at his request. Using that information, she tracked him down, spotted his delivery car in the driveway, and knocked on his door – with a $200 tip.
“Before he accepted the money … he wanted to make sure that I was going to be OK if he accepted that money from me,” Brittany says.
Richard explained why he became a DoorDash driver. It began when his wife lost her job, and the couple struggled to afford her “very expensive” medication. After covering their essentials, they had little money left, so he turned to delivering food.
“He can’t quit watching the GoFundMe”
When Brittany returned home, she realized the clip had gone viral on TikTok, with people messaging her, asking how they could help Richard. She created a GoFundMe called “Give Richard a chance to rest again,” and the response has been overwhelming.
“Richard delivered Starbucks to my home via DoorDash and it was evident from the video this was a task for him. With the help of social media I was able to track down Richard and learned he does DoorDash due to his wife being fired from her job (at no fault of her own) and by the time they pay their monthly expenses plus purchase their medication there is nothing left. Let’s help Richard go back into retirement,” the page reads.
As of now, the fundraiser has raised $930,572, and the total continues to climb.
“Richard said he’s not slept in two days because he can’t quit watching the GoFundMe,” says Brittany.
“He’s more precious in person, so I’m glad that I got to meet him.”
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