Loyal Burger King employee in tears after raising $150,000 on GoFundMe
54-year-old Kevin Ford, who has been a cook and cashier at the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport branch of Burger King for a whopping 27 years recently went viral after sharing a video of himself receiving a goodie bag as thanks for his loyalty to the fast food giant.
The goodie bag contained things like a bag of Reese’s, a reusable Starbucks cup, two pens and a cinema ticket. Ford’s daughter, outraged, set up a GoFundMe page in support of her father and has subsequently raised over $150,000.
“Hi, My name is Seryna. The man in that video is my father,” the description of the page reads. “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 here because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer because it was unionised.”
Seryna then went on to add how it got all four of her siblings through high school and college with full healthcare coverage. “My dad continues to work here, because though he does look young, he is coming up on retirement age and leaving would cost him his retirement. 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.”
@therealnovaakan3 Wow, this video lowkey hurt my heart yall ngl. 27 years!!! Like nahhhh they gotta do better then that! What yall think? #fyp
♬ original sound - Novaakan3
Little did Seryna and her father expect this level of reception for their GoFundMe page. “I’ve been crying for three days now,” the loyal employee shared when speaking to NewsNation. “The generosity of these people is just overwhelming,” Ford continued.
90s Saturday Night Live star David Spade also reached out to Ford, donating $5,000 to the GoFundMe page and told him to “keep up the good work.” An incredulous Ford responded to the donation by saying “Holy sh*t dude!!! Cannot believe this!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH For even watching the video! I love you my brother!!! Much love and God bless… I think I might be able to take a day off…”
In an interview with LADbible, Burger King told the publication they had a “robust employee recognition program, which includes the recognition of tenure milestones and monetary awards.”
“The Burger King brand and its many franchisees nationwide are committed to recognising and celebrating the achievements of the thousands of people serving across a wide range of roles—all dedicated to providing our guests a world-class experience,” a spokesperson explained.
“Following a review with this location’s franchisee, we’ve learned that this video depicts a Team Member in receipt of a peer-to-peer reward in recognition of a short-term positive performance/experience,” they continued.
As for Ford, the loyal employee intends to use the money to set up a college fund for his grandchildren and take that day off he most certainly deserves.
