Heart-warming moment 81-year-old DoorDasher melts the internet as strangers race to raise $10,000 so he can slow down
Sprightly grandfather Joe, 81, became a viral star after gently delivering a family’s Friday-night take-out
Texas mum Amy Kennedy shared the clip on TikTok – racking up 3 million views in days
Within a week viewers smashed a $4,000 GoFundMe target; the total is now nudging $10,000
Joe spends six hours a day, Monday to Friday, dashing to support his wife on a fixed income
‘It’s restored my faith in humanity,’ says Amy after meeting the couple for the first time
An 81-year-old great-grandfather who spends his weekdays racing around town delivering burgers and burritos is about to get a well-earned break – thanks to the kindness of complete strangers who fell in love with him online.
Joe – affectionately dubbed Mr Joe by loyal customers – shot to fame last month when Texas mother-of-two Amy Kennedy posted Ring-doorbell footage of the veteran courier carefully placing her DoorDash order on the porch.
‘I was feeling lazy and here was this older gentleman working hard,’ Amy told local reporters. ‘It was a humbling moment.’
The short clip struck a chord, clocking up more than 3 million views and triggering a flood of comments urging Amy to ‘tip big’ – and to set up a fundraiser.
Within hours she had launched a GoFundMe page and named Joe the sole beneficiary. The initial $4,000 goal was obliterated in days; the running total now stands at almost $10,000.
Last Sunday Amy and her husband drove across town to hand over the good news in person. ‘Joe and his wife are the sweetest couple you could meet,’ she said afterwards. ‘They’re on a fixed income and, with prices rising, he’s been DoorDashing six hours a day, five days a week just to make ends meet.’
The pensioner’s dedication – and the internet’s outpouring of generosity – has left Amy beaming. ‘This whole experience has completely restored my faith in humanity,’ she added.
As the donations continue to pour in, Mr Joe may soon be able to swap the fast-food runs for a slower pace of life – proof that, sometimes, the internet really does deliver.
