Last week, Richard Pulley, a 78-year-old DoorDash driver from Tennessee, was captured on a doorbell camera struggling to deliver a Starbucks order to Brittany Smith's home in Manchester.
In the video, Pulley can be seen slowly climbing the front steps while carrying the order, appearing visibly tired.
After receiving her delivery, Smith reviewed the recording and began wondering who he was and why someone his age was still working such a physically demanding job.
Through social media, she tracked him down and learned that Pulley was forced to work because he and his wife’s retirement income wasn’t enough to cover their basic expenses, including rent and medication.
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GoFundMe launched
Moved by his story, Smith launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe titled "Give Richard a Chance to Rest Again."
"My name is Brittany and I am setting up this go fund me for Richard. Richard delivered Starbucks to my home via door dash and it was evident from the video this was a task for him. With the help of social media I was able to track down Richard and learned he does DoorDash due to his wife being fired from her job (at no fault of her own) and by the time they pay their monthly expenses plus purchase their medication there is nothing left. Let’s help Richard go back into retirement," she wrote on the campaign page.
{{/usCountry}}"My name is Brittany and I am setting up this go fund me for Richard. Richard delivered Starbucks to my home via door dash and it was evident from the video this was a task for him. With the help of social media I was able to track down Richard and learned he does DoorDash due to his wife being fired from her job (at no fault of her own) and by the time they pay their monthly expenses plus purchase their medication there is nothing left. Let’s help Richard go back into retirement," she wrote on the campaign page.
{{/usCountry}}The campaign quickly gained traction online and has since raised more than $900,000.
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Smith later met the Pulleys at a local burger restaurant to show them the fundraiser.
Married for over 56 years, the couple said they were overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers who wanted to help them enjoy retirement.
“We appreciate every one of them … it’s taking a lot of pressure off of us … and making life livable once again,” Pulley told WBIR.