Kevin Ford, a viral 54-year-old restaurant worker, is being praised for never missing a day of work at the Las Vegas International Airport for the past 27 years.
Ford, who has been working at the food service company HMSHost, which helps restaurants like Burger King and Cinnabon staff their kiosks, received a gift after going viral from management for his exemplary service. However, some people thought the gift wasn’t enough.
Burger King Worker Goes Viral After Not Missing a Single Day of Work in 27 Years, Now He Just Received the Best Gift of All
Ford posted a short video of himself on Instagram, showing his appreciation for the gift, which included items such as a Starbucks tumbler, candy, pens, and a movie ticket. And while Ford was thankful for the small gift, users on social media believed he deserved much more and so the video went viral.
One of Ford’s daughters, Seryna, created a GoFundMe to honor her father’s dedication to working hard so that he could support her and her siblings, stating in the donor drive that they would use the original goal of $200 so that he could visit his grandchildren.
People across the world showered Kevin with monetary gifts.
Actor David Spade also became one of the top donors, giving Ford $5,000 and bringing the grand total of the GoFundMe to over $250,000.
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Ford joined TODAY live on Tuesday morning alongside Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin to address the overwhelming amount of love he’s received across the globe.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Ford said. “It’s overwhelming, especially the support I’m receiving every day. It’s awesome.”
Ford, who said he never thought of missing a day of work, shared that he appreciates donations coming from as far away as Australia and the United Kingdom.
“I’m grateful for everything, for every day I wake up, that I can go to work, that I could be a good citizen, be a good American and just do my part,” Ford said.
Kevin was then reunited with his daughter Seryna along with his three grandchildren who he hasn’t seen in four years. The Ford family embraced and held hands through tears, and Seryna shared what it’s been like seeing so many people show their love for her father.
“It means a lot to us,” Seryna said, adding that she really didn’t have high expectations when she originally set a small goal for the GoFundMe, however, the donations certainly exceeded expectations. “My dad deserves the world … he made me the person that I am.”
“It’s just a whirlwind of love,” Kevin said. “We need it. Every day, we need it.”