78-year-old US man goes viral for delivering food to cover wife’s medical bills, people donate Rs 4 crore

Elderly US man delivers food, strangers donate Rs 4 crore. (Image: @DerrickEvans4WV/ X)

In Manchester, Tennessee, a 78-year-old man has caught the attention of netizens for his dedication to work. While many at his age are retired, Richard Pulley continues to deliver food to help manage his family’s expenses.

As reported by NY Post, video showing Pulley delivering a Starbucks order went viral after it was shared online, inspiring thousands of people to donate nearly $500,000 (around Rs 4.6 crore) to support him and his wife.

Brittany Smith, who posted the video, said she was impressed by Pulley’s careful approach and slow steps as he placed the food on the doorstep. She referred to him online as ‘Richard the Starbucks delivery man’ and asked people to help identify him. Within hours, social media users had tracked him down, bringing attention to the couple’s situation.

Collin Rugg, co-founder of Trending Politics, also shared the video on X, explaining the struggles faced by Pulley and his wife. In the clip, Pulley can be seen walking up to houses and gently placing the deliveries before walking away, a simple scene that moved many viewers.

Pulley said he and his wife Brenda have been working together as delivery drivers for over a year after she lost her job. While Brenda drives, he completes the deliveries. Married for more than 56 years, the couple explained that they continued working because of financial pressures.

Brenda told WSMV, “When you’re past your mid-70s, there’s not exactly a line of people waiting to hire you.” Richard added, “With just one income in the family, you have to push. Just losing that, we had to supplement it.”

Medical bills added to their financial strain, with the couple spending thousands of dollars each year on healthcare. Brenda said, “Sometimes you just look at all the things that you need to pay for, because if they don’t, you’re going to end up in the hospital with something even more expensive than that.”

BREAKING: Elderly Tennessee man Richard Pulley has raised nearly $500K in donations after being filmed struggling to deliver food to cover medical bills after returning to work.pic.twitter.com/SQu7L1hcBi

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— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 13, 2026

Seeing their situation, Smith set up a GoFundMe campaign to help the Pulleys retire without financial stress. Donations poured in quickly, reaching almost $500,000 within a few days.

Smith later met the couple at a local burger restaurant to show them the donation page. Pulley 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. We appreciate every one of them. It’s taking a lot of pressure off of us and making life liveable once again.” The couple expressed gratitude for the generosity of strangers and for Smith’s initiative.