Kit Roberts
A man who worked at Burger King for nearly 30 years was able to buy his own house after receiving over $400,000 in donations.
Kevin Ford celebrated working as a cook at Burger King for 27 years without missing a single day of work in that time.
But for all that, he was given a measly gift consisting of a backpack with movie tickets, a Starbucks cup, and some candy and chocolate.
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A video of Kevin with his gift for 27 years of loyal service was posted online, where it went viral.
This led to a crowdfund being set up to support the veteran cook, which ended up raising a whopping $400,000.
And in an incredible update, on December 13, Kevin closed on his first house in Pahrump, Nevada, paying $177,000 for the 846-square foot property with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Kevin once again took to social media to thank people for their kindness and generosity, and to show them what he had done with the donations.
He said: “I wanted to show you something, something you made possible, you did for me, just a hardworking guy.
“Now I know it needs some work, gonna cut off the haters already, I know its not a mansion but it’s mine.”
The money was raised via a GoFundMe. In June 2022 Seryna Ford wrote wrote on the website: “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.”
In the end, the GoFundMe raised some $439,000, of which the family ended up being able to keep around $350,000.
They added that GoFundMe took a 'sizeable chunk' of the money.
Kevin shared a heartwarming message after showing people around his new home, saying: “I want to thank everyone all around the world for what you have done for me, something I never thought would be possible for me, homeownership."
The cook added: “Now my kids and my grandkids have a place to come visit me, and I just want to thank everybody for being a part of this miracle and for everything you’ve done for me and continue to do for me everyday.
“This is truly an American dream, it’s a Christmas miracle.”
As for the money which is left, he said that he plans to use it to renovate his home, give some to his daughter, and then put the rest towards his retirement.