Daughter of the year raises R6.3m for father who was under appreciated by his employer

The doting daughter said the money will go towards her father’s retirement fund. Photo: Philimon Bulawayo

The doting daughter said the money will go towards her father’s retirement fund. Photo: Philimon Bulawayo

Published Jul 10, 2022

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Durban - Seryna Ford saw her father, Kevin Ford, receive a measly goodie bag for not taking a single off work at Burger King for 27 years – and decided to do something about it.

Ford created a GoFundMe fundraiser for the 54-year-old cook and cashier with the goal of $270 000 (R4.5 million), but the current amount has exceeded her expectations.

This all started when a video showing Ford proudly displaying the contents of the bag he was given by the fast food company for his loyalty went viral.

The bag contained a movie ticket, sweets, a Starbucks cup, two pens and other items.

Social media users were not happy with Burger King, saying the multinational company did not care nor appreciate the sacrifices Ford had made to achieve this feat.

“The man in that video is my father. He originally began working at this job as a single father, when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago.

“Then, as our family grew and he remarried, he continued to work there because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer. This got all four of his daughters through high school and college,” wrote Ford in the fundraiser’s page.

She said the money would help her dad as he is coming up on retirement age. Ford added that it would also help the hard-working grandfather visit his children.

When asked by NewsNation how he managed not to take some time off his job, Ford said: “I also don’t know how I did it. Maybe I am a robot. I just worked hard as I could.”

In an update on GoFundMe, the doting daughter expressed her gratitude and thanked those who donated for giving her family and father the gift of a lifetime.

IOL Business