Woman Steps In To Help After Elderly Veteran Takes Job Delivering Groceries To Pay for Roof Repairs
When Jen Cantwell Weiss of Ogden, Utah, ordered groceries from Walmart through Door Dash, she didn’t know that her simple remote shopping would turn into a flurry of donations for a worthy cause.
Jen, like many, has a camera at her front door that caught the delivery. She didn’t see her items be delivered in realtime on Nov. 15, but when she went back and looked at the recording she was disheartened at what she saw.
The sight of the aging delivery man struggling with her order pushed her to post to see if it was typical for delivery drivers to be unknowingly saddled with large orders.
“Do any of my friends work for Door Dash delivering groceries for Walmart??” she wrote on Facebook. “I had an order delivered this AM and the gentleman doing the delivery really struggled getting up my stairs with the pack of soda.
“I didn’t watch this video til after he was already gone, or else I would have gone out to help him. Anyway, I’m wondering if delivery drivers know beforehand how large the order is or if there are heavy items (like a 24 pack of soda or a 30 lb bag of dog food or something).
“Do they have that info available to them before they decide whether to take that job? Or do they just accept the job and then find out what all it contains once they get there to pick up? Seeing this video makes me feel so bad.”
She wanted to do something kind for the man, so she decided to leave a tip through the app.
Others wanted to add their own monetary donations, and soon the amounts they had earmarked for the deliveryman exceeded the $100 allowable.
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So, Jen dug a little deeper, and found out more of the man’s story. She found a first name — Larry — and then found a family member who offered to help them connect.
“I found him!” she wrote in a comment update. “His nephew saw my post and is messaging me. I am waiting on more info about what his specific needs may be.”
Soon the story came out: According to KABC-TV, Larry’s home needed roof repairs, so he’d picked up the delivery work to try to raise enough money to have it fixed.
Jen shared his Venmo information and soon people were donating to the man, who Jen also discovered was a veteran and had experienced some major health issues.
“He had a stroke earlier this year and had to relearn to walk, among other medical issues he already had,” she wrote. “He is also a veteran. He did NOT ask for any help, but I love that people are touched by his story and want to help lighten his load a bit. Thank you so much everyone!”
So many people gave so generously that Larry was able to pay for the repairs. He and his wife were incredibly grateful and asked that people start donating to other causes since their need had been met.
“[F]riends, thank you SO much for all of your donations and generosity,” Jen wrote in the most recent update.
“Larry and his wife are so grateful! They have requested that rather than continuing to donate to him, you donate to Toys for Tots or your local food bank.
“He says he has received more than enough and feels there are so many others out there who need the help more than he does. He expresses his heartfelt gratitude for everything people have sent. You all are amazing.”
Jen’s post is a wonderful example of how a simple act of concern can bring about a lot of change and good for the people who aren’t looking for help but could really be blessed by it. This year has been tough for many, but Larry and his wife will begin the next year knowing (and seeing the practical result of) the love that total strangers have for them.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
