US Edition$1.5M raised for 88-year-old Army vet after viral video showed him working in grocery store
Donors worldwide, including celebrities, raised over $1.5 million within days to help Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old veteran working full-time due to lost pension and medical bills.
- A TikTok clip posted Dec. 2 showed Ed Bambas at a Meijer checkout, filmed by Samuel Weidenhofer, who gave him a $400 tip and launched a GoFundMe.
- After losing his pension in 2012, Bambas said, `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,` leading him to sell his house.
- Despite the attention, Bambas still uses a flip phone and works about 40 hours per week across five days, often doing eight-hour shifts at Meijer in Brighton, Michigan.
- Organizers say the crowdfund totals rose from more than $800,000 on day one to over $1.2 million by Wednesday and will help Ed Bambas pay off debts and retire, with Samuel Weidenhofer presenting the money on Friday.
- Thousands of donors and celebrities—including Charlie Puth and Russell Dickerson—boosted the campaign, while Meijer is offering no-cost financial planning to help Bambas manage donations.
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104 Articles
Strangers on GoFundMe raise nearly $2 million to help a Vietnam vet retire
To say that 2012 was a tough year for Ed Bambas is putting it extremely mildly. He lost his pension from General Motors, lost his family’s health care coverage at a time when his wife was sick, and the company took all but $10,000 of his life insurance. He was forced to sell his home and all his property to help him and his wife survive. Bambas took a job at a Meijer outside of Detroit, Michigan in order to make ends meet.That’s the story he rec…
88-Year-Old Army Vet Who Lost His Wife And Pension Receives $1.9M In Donations So He Can Finally Retire
grocery store checkout line 88-year-old Army vet and widower Ed Bambas has been working at a grocery store to pay his bill. That is because after working for General Motors for 40 years he lost the bulk of his pension when the company went bankrupt. He also had his life insurance stripped for parts when his wife became gravely ill and the octogenarian found himself having to work to survive. Creator Samuel Weidenhofer heard of this story. Sam’s …
Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old American war veteran, works five days a week at a supermarket to make ends meet for a month. His story was shared on social media by an Australian influencer, who asked his followers to help him raise enough money for Bambas' retirement. His appeal received an incredible response, raising 1.5 million euros in just a few days.
Viral video raises $1.8M for 88-year-old Meijer cashier who couldn’t afford to retire
Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer kicked off a fundraiser for Ed Bambas after approaching him at the Brighton store. The U.S. Army said he had to re-establish himself after the loss of his pension and taking care of his late wife, Joan.
88-year-old Army veteran working at grocery store receives over $1.7M in donations after viral video
Australian influencer Sam Weidenhofer's viral video about Army veteran Edmund Bambas working at a grocery store at age 88 inspired a massive GoFundMe raising over $1.7 million.
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