Dan Simpson will retire on April 30th. And just a few days before this milestone, his life is about to change: a video showing this pizza delivery man from Boise, Idaho has made him famous… and rich.
Dan Simpson was working on March 27th. He had to deliver an order for a customer who had requested soda, but the restaurant was out of stock. He tried to reach the customer, to no avail. In order to satisfy the customer, he simply took the initiative to cross the street and buy two bottles of Diet Coke from the nearby convenience store. Particularly touched by this “small gesture,” the customer, Brian Wilson, said to the local newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, “At first glance, it might have seemed like a small gesture,” he said. “But for us, it meant much more. This kind of attention and personal care has become so rare today…”
Over 70,000 dollars raised
Such was the impact of Simpson’s act that Wilson started a fundraiser for his “benefactor.” The fund has now surpassed 70,000 dollars (60,000 euros), out of a goal of 100,000. And the amount continues to rise… The average donation is 72 dollars, but a generous donor contributed 1,800 dollars, according to statistics from GoFundMe, the fundraising platform. “What the delivery man didn’t know was that my wife and I are both visually impaired,” detailed Brian Wilson, explaining why going to the store himself would have been complicated. And why he was so touched by the delivery man’s gesture.
As for Dan Simpson, who is set to retire on April 30th, he can now forget about the financial difficulties he faced… even if he initially found it hard to believe the outpouring of generosity: “It’s not possible! I first thought it was a scam,” he said, seeing the donations coming in on his phone.
“Honestly, it was nothing”
Dan Simpson works nights to supplement his income from the Idaho Department of Agriculture. He revealed that he had faced difficulties in the past, including a stint in prison for drunk driving, before turning his life around and returning to school over 20 years ago. Despite this, he struggled to save for his retirement: “I always tried to be a kind person and help others, because I know what it’s like to be at rock bottom,” he shared. However, he remains incredulous: “They say I made an extra effort, but honestly, it was nothing,” he concluded. “Well, now I might even be able to go to Hawaii…”
