GoFundMe Raises $500K for Elderly DoorDash Driver

A coffee drop-off in Tennessee has morphed into a six-figure lifeline for an elderly delivery driver. After Manchester resident Brittany Smith saw on her Ring camera that her Starbucks order was being brought by an older man who appeared to be struggling, she went online to find out more about him. "[Y'all], help me find this precious man!" she wrote on social media, per WSMV. "Why is he having to DoorDash." Smith soon learned that the driver, IDed only as Richard, had come out of retirement to deliver for DoorDash after his wife lost her job.

That's when she decided to launch a GoFundMe to help cover the couple's bills and medication costs, writing that Richard "is not working because he wants to" and urging people to help him retire again. The campaign quickly exploded as social media users shared the story and donated; it was up past $500,000 as of Friday morning. Smith has called the response "overwhelming," per WZTV, and says her goal is simple: Give Richard the financial cushion to leave his gig work behind.