During the pandemic, Carlos Valdez ordered a lot of pizza. According to Carlos, “It makes my wife happy.” Their favorite place is Papa John’s.  Each time they ordered the pizza, the delivery guy was an 89-year-old man named Derlin Newey. Derlin was so nice that the Valdez family began to request that Derlin deliver the pizza each time.

Carlos thought it was odd and a little bit sad that an 89-year-old man worked so hard, so he asked his 53,000 Tic Toc followers to chip in a little money for an extra nice tip for Derlin. A few days later, Carlos and his wife went to Derlin’s house to surprise him with $12,069 worth of cash (an average of 22 cents per follower).

Turns out Derlin lives alone after his wife past away. He works 30 hours a week to pay the bills that social security does not cover. When Derlin received the money, he began to cry, “How do I ever say thank you. I don’t know what to say.” Thanks to the help from a bunch of strangers, Derlin can have some peace of mind.

Joe’s Perspective: Again, this is another excellent example of ordinary citizens coming together to support someone else in the community. The ethnicity of the people does not matter. It’s just simple kindness. People watching out for their neighbors. I bet we can all do that, we just have to find a way.

Your Turn: What are your thoughts about Carlos Valdez and his wife after providing such a kind gesture? Does it inspire you to do anything in your own community?