Brighton, Michigan
AP
—
Ed Bambas will quickly ring up his final can of corn.
The 88-year-old Michigan grocery employee was handed an outsized examine for $1.7 million Friday, the results of a exceptional fundraising marketing campaign by a younger Australian man with a rare following on social media.
“No, no,” Bambas mentioned, wiping tears and sniffles in entrance of reporters. “Thank you. Oh, my God.”
Sam Weidenhofer, 22, is utilizing his highly effective platforms to unfold kindness — and cash — on a go to to the United States.
He met Bambas at a Meijer retailer in Brighton in southeastern Michigan about two weeks in the past and recorded a TikTok video for his 7.7 million followers by which the General Motors retiree defined why he’s nonetheless working as he approaches 90, following the demise of his spouse, Joan, after a power sickness in 2018.
“I don’t have enough income,” Bambas mentioned on the video.
Weidenhofer in flip launched a web based GoFundMe drive, urging folks to assist Bambas.
“His story is a stark reminder that too many of our seniors, especially veterans face incredible challenges just to survive,” mentioned Weidenhofer, who’s from Melbourne, Australia, and has greater than 10 million followers on varied social media websites.
The response was dizzying: More than 15,000 folks have pitched in with donations starting from $10 to $10,000.
“It means a terrible burden,” Bambas jokingly instructed reporters. “I have to find everybody and say, ‘thank you.’”
He mentioned he began working at Meijer, a big-box retailer with groceries, garments and different gadgets, at age 82.
“I talk to everybody that came through my cashier line because it helped me not become despondent on her loss. … I gave them a piece of my life story,” Bambas mentioned, referring to his spouse.
Lexi Wallace, 26, who was once an everyday buyer earlier than shifting away, went on Weidenhofer’s Facebook web page and urged him to seek out Bambas.
“I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me,” Wallace mentioned. “I would love going to Meijer to see him.”
Weidenhofer mentioned Bambas will be capable of clear $225,000 in debt with the windfall. How he spends the remainder of the cash is completely as much as him.
“It feels like a dream,” Weidenhofer mentioned.
Bambas needs to journey to see his brother and choose up golf once more. As for work, he’s not quitting his cashier publish but.
“I’ll probably work another month or two and shut things down,” he mentioned.