Richard Pulley GoFundMe Nets $884,000 for Elderly DoorDash Driver
When Richard Pulley, 78, shuffled up to a woman's door in Tennessee to drop off a DoorDash order, she decided to help him. A few days later, a GoFundMe page designed to help Pulley retire has raised more than $884,000 and warmed the hearts of people throughout the U.S.
Brittany Smith, Pulley's customer, set up the fundraiser for him. "My name is Brittany and I am setting up this go fund me for Richard," she wrote. The video of Pulley's DoorDash delivery, and the GoFundMe page, have since gone viral. Smith published the original video on Facebook on March 10, writing, "All help me find this precious man! Why is he having to DoorDash ???????????? his name is Richard! Help me find him." She was subsequently able to track him down. On March 12, she shared a photo with Pulley and his wife, writing, "My adopted grandparents. What a journey these last few days have been!"
"Richard delivered Starbucks to my home via door dash and it was evident from the video this was a task for him. With the help of social media I was able to track down Richard and learned he does DoorDash due to his wife being fired from her job (at no fault of her own) and by the time they pay their monthly expenses plus purchase their medication there is nothing left. Let’s help Richard go back into retirement!!" added Smith.
Richard Pulley & His Wife, Brenda, Explained Why They Needed to DoorDash
More than half a million dollars has been raised via a viral GoFundMe for 78-year-old delivery driver after a customer’s doorbell video showed him struggling to make ends meet.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 14, 2026
He returned to work after losing key retirement income and says rising costs left him with no choice… pic.twitter.com/Kfwb9wnMMC
Richard Pulley and his wife, Brenda, told WSMV-TVwhy they were DoorDashing (she also helped sometimes, the television station reported.)
“When you’re past your mid-70s, there’s not exactly a line of people waiting to hire you,” Brenda said to the station.
“With just one income in the family, you have to push… Just losing that, we had to supplement it,” Richard said. Smith also spoke to WSMV-TV about the Pulleys. “I don’t know. It’s just I love this man,” Smith said.
“It’s just really difficult to believe that there’s that many people that are that generous to try to help us… People that don’t even know us,” Brenda said to the station.
Smith also posted a video to her Facebook page showing her meeting the Pulleys in a restaurant.
Donors to the Richard Pulley GoFundMe Page Wished Him Well & Praised the Community for Coming Together
(Photo illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)
People wished Pulley well in the GoFundMe page's comments section for donors. "God bless your family Richard. You deserve to enjoy your retirement work free. You've worked your whole life it's time to rest," wrote one person.
"Wishing you the most peaceful and joyful retirement, you've earned every moment of it!" another person wrote. "I am so proud of my hometown. We still have good people out there. Thank you Brittany for making it possible for all of us to help give this gentleman and his wife a stress free retirement," added another person.
"I am so excited to see you guys reach such an incredible milestone! Seeing thousands of people come together like this is emotion evoking in a beautiful way," added another donor.