'2.5 Billion Won Windfall' Comes to 88-Year-Old Grocery Cashier: "I Can't Believe It," He Says Tearfully

With Help from a 7.7 Million-Follower Influencer
Donations Pour In After His Story Goes Public

An 88-year-old man in the United States received a donation of several billion won with the help of a young social media influencer.

According to the Associated Press on December 5 (local time), Ed Bamber, an 88-year-old grocery cashier in Michigan, USA, was able to receive 1.7 million dollars (approximately 2.5 billion won) through an online fundraising campaign led by 22-year-old Australian influencer Sam Bidenhofer. Upon receiving such a large sum unexpectedly, Bamber was moved to tears, saying, "I can't believe it."

Young influencer Sam Bidenhofer started a fundraising campaign on the online donation site GoFundMe for 88-year-old grocery cashier Ed Bamber. GoFundMe screenshot.

Their relationship began through social networking services (SNS). Bidenhofer, who recently visited the United States, launched a "Sharing Kindness" project through his SNS platform. Through this project, he met Bamber, who, after retiring from General Motors, had started working as a grocery cashier at the age of 82 to make ends meet.

Bamber's wife passed away from illness in 2018, and his debts amounted to 225,000 dollars (about 330 million won). Despite approaching the age of 90, he still had no choice but to keep working.

During his visit to the United States, Bidenhofer met Bamber at a grocery store in Michigan and posted a video of their conversation on TikTok, where he has 7.7 million followers. In the video, Bamber confessed, "With my current income, it's not enough to get by."

Subsequently, Bidenhofer started a fundraising campaign for Bamber on the online donation site GoFundMe. He commented, "Bamber's story is an example of how many seniors and veterans are struggling to make a living." This message quickly spread, and more than 15,000 people donated amounts ranging from 10 dollars to 10,000 dollars. As a result, 1.7 million dollars was raised within just two weeks of posting the video.

Australian influencer Sam Bidenhofer is presenting a donation certificate worth 1.7 million dollars to Ed Bambers, an 88-year-old grocery cashier in Michigan, USA, on the 5th (local time). Photo by AP Yonhap News

Bamber said, "Standing at the checkout counter helped me keep from feeling depressed due to my wife's absence. I used to share bits of my life story with customers." Lexi Wallace, a 26-year-old woman who was a regular at the store, also commented on Bidenhofer's SNS, "I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me. I used to go to the store just to see him."

Bidenhofer, who led the fundraising, called it "a dream come true" and explained that 225,000 dollars from the donations would be used to pay off Bamber's debts. He added, "The rest of the money is for Bamber to use as he wishes," expressing his joy.

Bamber now plans to travel to see his siblings and start playing golf again. However, he said he does not intend to quit working completely just yet. Bamber stated, "I'll work for another month or two and then finish up."