Strangers donate nearly $1 million to viral 78-year-old delivery worker
A 78-year-old DoorDash driver was presented with a check totaling nearly $1 million after a doorbell camera video of him working — and a subsequent online fundraiser on his behalf — went viral.
“All the people have been good [to me],” Richard Pulley told ABC News Nashville station WKRN after he received the $965,868 check on March 20, which came from donations to a GoFundMe fundraiser that attracted attention from people across the world.
Brittany Smith (right) started a GoFundMe online fundraiser for Richard Pulley (left), which ended up raising nearly $1 million in donations to benefit him and his wife.
GoFundMe
Pulley and his story went viral after he was recorded making a delivery to Brittany Smith, who shared her doorbell camera footage online and with Storyful.
In the short video clip, Pulley can be seen walking slowly toward Smith’s home, taking each of her front steps one by one, before dropping off a small Starbucks order bag.
Richard Pulley and his wife Brenda pose with a check from GoFundMe donations.
GoFundMe
Pulley told WKRN he started working as DoorDash driver about a year and a half ago, after his wife Brenda lost her job and they had trouble affording her medications. Pulley said he didn’t mind returning to work after a 15-year retirement.
“I need to keep myself moving,” Pulley told WKRN.
When reached by ABC News, a DoorDash spokesperson said the company pitched in with a financial donation of its own after Pulley’s story and fundraiser went viral.
“Richard’s dedication to supporting himself and his wife is truly inspiring. Like many others, we were moved by his story and the outpouring of support from people across the country,” the spokesperson said. “It’s also a powerful reminder of how dashing can bring communities together, while helping people earn extra money to make life easier.”
GoFundMe said Pulley’s story shows the outsized impact regular people can have on each other.
“This story shows the extraordinary impact of a community coming together around a simple act of kindness for someone in need,” the company said. “When people step up to support a stranger, it can do more than change one life — it can inspire generosity that ultimately changes the world. We’re proud to provide a trusted platform that helps make that support possible.”
Pulley told WKRN he and his wife are hoping to buy a new home for themselves with their new funds and enjoy their retirement more comfortably.