David Spade was feeling charbroiled after watching the viral video of a Burger King employee get nothing more than a goodie bag of candy as recognition for 27 years of work without ever missing a day.
Throughout the week, a video made the rounds that showed a man named Kevin Ford receiving a less-than-satisfactory gift to commemorate his dedication and loyalty to his employer. The bag included a movie ticket, pens, a lanyard and some candy.
As the video went viral, Kevin's daughter started a GoFundMe and spoke of her father's work ethic and life story. Fans quickly contributed small amounts to the fund, which added up quickly. After David saw the video, he donated $5,000 to the fund, easily the page's largest contribution.
The "Tommy Boy" star also had a conversation with Kevin on Instagram. "Keep up the good work. 27 years," David wrote. Kevin was stunned and thanked the actor profusely, even joking that he might take a day off now. David replied, "Wait til year 30."
The GoFundMe has now eclipsed $50,000, largely through $10 and $20 donations. Many people have left supportive messages to Kevin, claiming Burger King did him wrong. However, in a chat with TMZ, Kevin — who works at the Burger King inside the Las Vegas airport — doesn't technically work for the fast food giant, but rather HMS Host, the company from which Burger King hires.
"All the love that people are giving me is just so, so overwhelming. I just want to thank everyone so, so much," he told TMZ in an emotional video. "I'm grateful for anything. I don't want to say I want this or that. All I want is to go to work and have fun and make everyone's life better like they're doing to me."
With he money raised from GoFundMe, Kevin plans to visit his daughters and grandkids in Texas and maybe buy a Ford hybrid.