MANCHESTER, Tenn. (WTVF) — A doorbell camera video of a DoorDash driver in Manchester has gone viral, sparking an outpouring of generosity for the man in the footage and his wife.
Brittany Smith posted the Ring camera video, which has since racked up 2.3 million views.
"So I posted the video of the Ring Camera footage and it's got 2.3 million views," Smith said.
The man in the video is Richard, who declined to give his last name. He and his wife, Brenda, have continued working long past retirement age. Richard said he began delivering for DoorDash after Brenda lost her job.
"I had a job and just losing that we had to supplement it. So I started running for DoorDash," Richard said.
Richard works long days to help make ends meet and cover the cost of his wife's medications.
"It's a medicine for kidney disease. I'm a diabetic and that's what's keeping me off of dialysis," Brenda said.
"Sometimes you just look at all the things that you need to pay or need to do and you know that has to come because if it don't, you're going to end up in a hospital," Richard said.
After learning about Richard and Brenda's story, Smith started a GoFundMe, and donations began pouring in. She met the couple in person at Jiffy Burger in Manchester to show them the support they were receiving.
Brenda said it is harder for older people to find work, which is why Richard turned to DoorDash. Within a day, Smith's social media post had generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for the couple — donations that could mean fewer hours on the road and a chance to breathe again after years of hard work.
"It's just really difficult to believe that there's that many people that are that generous to try to help us… people that don't even know us," Richard said.
Do you know an older worker who has turned to gig economy jobs like DoorDash to make ends meet, or has a community act of generosity changed your life? We want to hear your story. Watch our full report and share your thoughts with reporter Kim Rafferty at Kim.Rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
Here’s a beautiful story of how one mother turned her grief journey into a gathering of gratitude… and organ donation awareness.
Robb Coles highlights a special event organized by Cari Hollis – whose 26-year old son Austin died two years ago. Austin agreed to be an organ donor – and that single gesture saved multiple lives.
Cari reached out to as many recipients she could find – several of whom traveled to Nashville for an emotional celebration in Austin’s honor. One woman – whose life was saved by receiving Austin’s lungs – put it simply: “He’s my angel”.
- Rhori Johnston
