Young man who never missed work for 27 years gets rewarded for his dedication, earns $400,000 cash gift
A young man named Kevin Ford has received a $400,000 cash gift to acknowledge his 27 years of dedicated service to the Burger King fast food, in Las Vegas, United States.
Kevin Ford, a Burger King employee in Las Vegas, Nevada, was surprised with $400,000 from his co-workers and other supporters after working diligently for the fast food chain for 27 years.
Kevin was rewarded after he was originally given a small goodie bag by the company upon his retirement. He shared a video of how he felt underappreciated after receiving the goodie bag on his TikTok which later turned into a viral video.
The goodie bag came from HMS Host, the company that hires staff for Burger King. It contained a bag of Reese’s peanut butter, a Starbucks reusable cup, two pens, and just one movie ticket.
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He was also given a slice of chocolate cake by the managers of the fast food chain. Though he felt a bit disappointed, Kevin still expressed gratitude to the company, stating that he was happy about anything he receives.
However, many people online responded with overwhelming support. A GoFundMe page was created for him to show that his active service and dedication as a staff mattered. Within a year, the campaign raised over $400,000.
Kevin was also gifted by a notable American actor and comedian, David Spade who contributed $5,000 dollars to the GoFundMe. David also sent a congratulatory message to Kevin on Instagram.
Kevin’s daughter, Seryna Fords shared how her father had been a devoted single parent since she and her older sister were very young. She emphasized how much he deserved this appreciation for his unwavering commitment to his job, even during tough times.
”He originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago,” Seryna said.
”He remarried, and he continue to work here because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer because it was unionized which got all four of his daughters through high school and college with full healthcare coverage,” she added.
Reacting to the cash gift, Kevin said he is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and he was grateful to have been counted deserving by everyone.
“I’ve been crying for about two days now. It’s just incredible,I just go to work and try to have fun and laugh and make other people’s day good. It’s like I’ve been in a dream for almost two days now. It’s just so beautiful and awesome. It really is,” Kevin said in an interview.
“For all those years, you feel unappreciated, but you get up just like everybody else. You do your job, and for somebody to show this appreciation is just overwhelming,” he added.
Kevin said he plans to use the money to pay off bills and visit his daughter Seryna and his grandchildren, two girls who are six and eight. He added that he is thankful for the community of people who thought to offer him a little love through their comments and the donations.
