A Ring camera in Manchester, Tennessee, recently captured a moment that resonated with many and sparked a wave of generosity from strangers across the internet.
In the footage, a 78-year-old delivery driver named Richard is seen painstakingly making his way up the steps to a house, a sight that quickly grabbed attention.
Brittany Smith, the homeowner, shared her thoughts in a social media post: “He should be at home, relaxing, maybe doing some light exercise to stay mobile—not out here working. We need to help him.”
Smith typically doesn’t review her doorbell camera footage, but on this occasion, she did because her ex-husband, who is quadriplegic, had surprised their daughter with a Starbucks delivery.
After viewing the video, both Smith and her ex-husband felt compelled to find Richard and offer assistance.
“It made me upset. I couldn’t believe that this elderly gentleman was delivering Starbucks to my very capable daughter,” Smith remarked.
Someone recognized Richard and was able to give Smith his last name.
Smith drove around looking for the car that was in the video and found it. Richard lives five minutes away. She knocked on his door and handed him a $200 tip for the delivery to her home.
Richard sold insurance and retired 13 years ago, but after his wife lost her job, he went back to work delivering food – sometimes for 12 hours a day.
“I needed to supplement our income so I started working through DoorDash and it allowed us to pay our bills,” he said.
At first, Smith thought the tip would be just enough, but people online had another idea. Smith said she received “hundreds and thousands of messages” asking her to start a GoFundMe page for him.
The next morning, she did and called it Give Richard a Chance to Rest Again.
In five days, strangers raised almost $1 million for Richard and his wife, who’ve been married for nearly 56 years.
“It’s just really difficult to believe that there’s that many people that are that generous to … try to help us and people that don’t even know us,” Richard’s wife, Brenda, said.
Richard is grateful for the support. He says he wants to continue delivering, but not as often – saying working makes him feel better.
“It’s important to do the best you can and help people. If you help people and do right, you’ll succeed,” he said.
