Working at Burger King for just shy of three decades, Kevin Ford found that his loyalty amounted to not much more than a few party favors. Ford, who has not missed a day of work in his 27 years on the job, went viral last summer after posting a TikTok that showed his company’s recognition of the fruits of his labor: a movie ticket, a backpack, a Starbucks cup, a couple pens, and a handful of candy.
While he expressed gratitude for the gift, many online commenters felt that the goodie bag didn’t scratch the surface of what Ford deserved. His daughter, Sernya Ford, created a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe looking to raise an extra $200 so that he could visit his grandchildren. In the bio on the campaign page, she explained that Ford was able to put “all four of his daughters through high school and college with full health care coverage” thanks to his unionized job at Burger King.
Donations poured through, and a year and $446,000 later, Ford announced in a new TikTok video that he used much of the money to buy a house.
