Elderly DoorDash driver finally gets to retire after customer raises $550K

Customer raises over $500K for elderly DoorDash driver

An elderly man who picked up a delivery job to help cover routine expenses and medications will get to retire now, thanks to the kindness of strangers and a customer who watched him carefully deliver Starbucks to her doorstep. 

An elderly man who took up delivering food for DoorDash to make ends meet gets to retire at home with his wife again, thanks to the help of a customer and 18,000 strangers. 

Richard, 78, came out of retirement when his wife of 56 years, Linda, lost her job, WSMV reports. The Manchester, Tennessee, couple had both been doing DoorDash deliveries for more than a year – until one delivery changed their life. 

Call to help

The backstory:

On March 10, Brittany Smith watched Richard on her doorbell camera as he slowly and carefully approached her home to deliver a Starbucks order through DoorDash. 

"It was evident from the video this was a task for him," Smith wrote on a GoFundMe page. 

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Smith shared the video on TikTok, where it quickly went viral, then created a GoFundMe page once she was able to track down Richard. 

Richard dropping off Starbucks at Brittany Smith's house (Brittany Smith via Storyful)

"He does DoorDash due to his wife being fired from her job (at no fault of her own) … by the time they pay their monthly expenses plus purchase their medication there is nothing left," she said on the GoFundMe page. Let’s help Richard go back into retirement!!"

By the numbers:

As of Friday morning, more than 18,000 people have answered Smith’s call to help, with more than $550,000 raised. The campaign raised more than $300,000 in 24 hours. Donations ranged from $5 to $2,000. 

What they're saying:

"Richard, I was not able to donate much- but I sure hope you and your wife enjoy your days together from here on out," one $5 donor wrote on the fundraising page. 

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"Enjoy the break, sir," another donor wrote. "You and your lady can relax a bit."

What's next:

Richard and Brenda say they’re still trying to process the overwhelming support. 

"It’s just really difficult to believe that there’s that many people that are that generous to try to help us… People that don’t even know us," Brenda told WSMV. "She’s remarkable. I just can’t believe that someone would be that caring to set this up for us."

As for how they’ll spend their time, Richard and Brenda said they’ll finally be able to "slow down."