Kevin Ford, 54, has worked for Burger King for nearly three decades. In his 27-year career, he never missed a day of work. Burger King presented the man with a small bag of petty gifts as a token of appreciation. The man was so disappointed by his ex-employee that he documented his experience in a video. People were moved by the man’s heartbreaking tale and donated money to Kevin. The total amount of donations exceeded $300,000.
WATCH the video of it:
Ford has experience working at Burger King in Las Vegas as a cashier and a cook. His supervisors chose to present him with a bag of goodies on his 27th work anniversary as a sign of appreciation for his dedication to the company. The goodies included a Starbucks cup, a movie ticket, and sweets. The video shows the man accepting the bag gratefully and thanking his coworkers. The video quickly went viral, and many social media users were outraged by the man’s shameful reward.
Determined to make things right, Ford’s daughter set up a GoFundMe page for her father so he could get a proper reward for his long and dedicated work in the fast food company. The campaign has collected more than $328,000, although the initial target was $200.
“The man in that video is my father. He has worked at his job for 27 years and yes, he has never missed a day of work. He originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago. Then as our family grew and he remarried, he continued to work there because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer because it was unionized,” Seryna, Ford’s daughter, wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“My dad continues to work there, because though he does look young, he is coming up on retirement age and leaving would cost him his retirement,” she added. “In no way are we asking for money or is he expecting any money but if anyone feels like blessing him he would love to visit his grandchildren.”
Ford’s wish to see his grandchildren came true recently. He was flown to New York for a TV appearance, and he took that opportunity to see his grandchildren for the first time in four years. The reunion occurred during a live television show.
“I’ve been crying for all these days as it is and of course I’m crying live on TV again seeing my grandbabies,” Ford said in the interview. One of the contributors was actor David Spade who donated $5,000. The campaign attracted over 11K donators. The actor has sent a message to Ford on Instagram.
Ford clarified that he hadn’t thought about how to use his newfound wealth. “You never know. It’s day to day, but I haven’t thought of anything to do with that money except to visit my grandkids for a while and maybe put some up for their college, but I’m not even thinking about that,” he said. “I’m just working.”
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