In an astonishing turn of events, a young man saw an older woman working in a Walmart store and couldn\u2019t help but wonder about her circumstances. After learning that what kept her from retiring was her mortgage, he decided to remedy the situation.<\/p>\n
Devan Bonagura from New Jersey was oblivious to how drastically his life would change\u2014all because he extended a helping hand to someone who needed it the most. It was an event that taught him eye-opening lessons and inspired several others to do the same.<\/p>\n
It all began when he posted a 15-second clip on TikTok\u2014his fifth video on the popular video-sharing platform. While Bonagura had his reasons for sharing the short video, even he couldn\u2019t have anticipated the response it would receive.<\/p>\n
Going Viral
\nThe young man\u2019s video showed an elderly lady sitting at the break room table at the Walmart in Hackettstown, New Jersey, during her shift. As of November 28, the clip has become a viral sensation, garnering 30.8 million views and 4.6 million reactions.While the elderly woman was grateful for his help, she expressed the amount wasn\u2019t enough to pay her mortgage fully.<\/p>\n
Jumping into Action
\nThe senior citizen in the video turned out to be Nola Carpenter, 81, a New Jersey resident who had been working for the giant retailer for over two decades. Within a short time, the viral clip amassed thousands of comments from netizens far and wide. Its in-lay text read:\u201dLife shouldn\u2019t [be] this hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some hinted that Carpenter seemed tired and on the verge of giving up, others expressed a strong desire to hug her and help make her feel better. Given people\u2019s overwhelming response, something tugged at his heartstrings, and Bonagura knew he couldn\u2019t stand aside and watch.<\/p>\n
Creating the GoFundMe Page
\nEventually, Bonagura learned that the reason Carpenter had been working instead of enjoying her retirement was to earn enough money to pay off her mortgage. However, with Walmart paying $17-$19 to its workers on average per hour, it would have likely taken the older lady a long time to gather enough money.<\/p>\n
So, to help ease her woes and in response to a commenter\u2019s suggestion, Bonagura created a crowdfunding page for Carpenter with the title, \u201cLet\u2019s help Nola retire.\u201d The caption read:\u201dNola works at Walmart and that says enough. Let\u2019s all come together and help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Facing Backlash
\nBonagura later revealed that he wasn\u2019t employed by Walmart but by a third-party company that sold products there. In a follow-up video on November 4, the young man updated his followers on Carpenter\u2019s story and made shocking revelations.<\/p>\n
He revealed that a store manager told him to remove the viral video and delete the fundraising page because the popular retailer was allegedly being threatened and receiving severe backlash, adding they would involve the cops if necessary. But Bonagura said he was crystal clear about his stance on the matter:<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them to do what you have to do because I\u2019m getting this money to this woman one way or another.\u201dThe New Jersey resident claimed he was even suspended from his job, with pay, but none of that mattered because he was glad he had been able to help Carpenter.<\/p>\n
Supporting the Elderly Lady
\nIn another video posted on November 5, Bonagura gave Carpenter a surprise visit, and after a brief chat, he transferred $110,000 raised through the fundraiser into her account. While the elderly woman was grateful for his help, she expressed the amount wasn\u2019t enough to pay her mortgage fully.<\/p>\n
Carpenter said she would have to continue her work until she could make an additional $60,000, and given her hourly wage at the store, it would have taken her too long to save up such a considerable sum. Thus, Bonagura kept the GoFundMe page going until it reached $186,323 from 13,500 donations.<\/p>\n
Nothing but Gratitude
\nOn November 14, 19-year-old Bonagura shared an update video with Carpenter, where he did a small Q&A round with her after turning over the entire proceeds from the GoFundMe page.\u201dI feel good, and I\u2019m thankful for Devan for what he\u2019s done, or none of this would have been possible,\u201d said Carpenter, who could finally afford to retire.<\/p>\n
Having worked for the retailer for over 20 years, Carpenter became nostalgic and expressed that she would miss meeting her regular customers. She also confirmed that she would continue working during the holidays and retire at the beginning of 2023.<\/p>\n
The Online Appreciation
\nBonagura\u2019s efforts to help Carpenter were widely recognized and appreciated by netizens when the lovely story gained traction on other social media platforms, such as Facebook:<\/p>\n
\u201cWell done young man. You are a credit to your generation.\u201d\u2014 (@dian.coulthard) November 25, 2022<\/p>\n
\u201cSo glad you could do this for this lady I know it\u2019s hard to work as old as she is there\u2019s a lot of associates at work at this age just to keep them self going but when you have a mortgage and have to still work no matter what that\u2019s bad God bless you (sic).\u201d\u2014 (@taximom121) November 25, 2022<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat an amazing young guy! Beautiful and I\u2019m so happy for the woman! Go and enjoy your life little lady!!!\u201d\u2014 (@Georgina59) November 25, 2022<\/p>\n
If this story warmed your heart, please take a moment to share your valuable feedback. In the meantime, click here to read another story about a stranger who walked up to a grieving widower with seven kids and handed him a check for $8,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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