NEED TO KNOW
- After influencers shared a viral video of an 88-year-old veteran working at a Michigan Meijer supermarket, they started a fundraiser for his retirement
- Strangers inspired by his story have donated $1.7 million for Ed Bambas’ retirement
- Bambas retired from General Motors in 1999, but later lost his pension when the company went bankrupt, and returned to work after losing his wife Joan
Strangers raised $1.7 million to support an 88-year-old veteran’s retirement.
Ed Bambas landed on the radar of Australian social media influencer Sam Weidenhofer, after someone shared the octogenarian’s story in the comments section of one of Weidenhofer’s videos on social media, according to ABC News.
Bambas, who originally retired from General Motors in 1999, found himself suddenly thrown back into the workforce almost a decade ago when he lost his wife following a long illness. Simultaneously, his employer cut his pension, he told local ABC affiliate WXYZ in an interview.
The veteran now works at a Michigan Meijer supermarket in Brighton, Mich. “It came out of the clear blue — I really truly mean that,” Bambas told the local outlet of his sudden internet stardom.
“I’ve never been on those programs,” Bambas said, referring to TikTok and Instagram. “I don’t own one of those fancy cellphones. In fact, I still have a flip phone just to talk to people,” Bambas added.
Bambas went on to explain that while he owned his home at the time of his retirement, he lost his pension when GM went bankrupt in 2012, and struggled to keep up with his late wife Joan’s medical bills before and after her death in 2018.
“Once my wife died, I didn’t have enough income to pay for this place or all the other bills I had accumulated because of my wife’s illness,” Bambas told WXYZ. “It wasn’t hard for me to do it because I knew I had to do it. I’m fortunate God gave me a good enough body to be strong enough to stand there for eight, eight and a half hours a day.”
Weidenhofer told the outlet of his mission to help Bambas, “No 88-year-old in America should work because they need to, and that breaks my heart.” He then teamed up with Detroit-based influencer Mike McKinstry to locate Bambas.
“We walked around Meijer for about two hours and we were looking for this friendly, jolly older man and we ran into Ed at the checkout and knew it was him right away,” McKinstry told WXYZ.
“I just wanted to give him a chance to retire, you know? At least have some comfort. At first, I thought maybe there would be a little bit of support, but to see how much? It’s record breaking,” Weidenhofer added.
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“I just try to be myself, with one exception. I think my wife sits on my shoulder and helps me do the right thing,” Bambas told WXYZ. “I try very hard to go to her gravesite every day and say hi… It helps me get through my day — it really does,” Bambas said.
The pair of influencers’ viral video of Bambas working in the store led to them creating a fundraiser to support him. As of publication, the GoFundMe has hit $1.7 million — a total Bambas is not aware of just yet, per WXYZ.
“Despite everything, Ed shows up every day with quiet dignity, strength, and perseverance,” the fundraiser’s description reads. “His story is a stark reminder that too many of our seniors, especially veterans face incredible challenges just to survive.”
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