YORK COUNTY — After visiting her local Walmart, Sandra Emerson noticed that the receipt checker by the door was an elderly gentleman. When speaking with him, he shared his story with her.
“Mr. Thomas,” as he is affectionately known, is a receipt checker at the Walmart on George Washington Memorial Highway. He is an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran and has recently started working after he spent his life savings caring for his wife after she suffered four heart attacks.
Emerson was so moved by what he said that she started a GoFundMe to help raise money to take some of the burden off Thomas.
The GoFundMe page gained traction quickly and has since raised over $13,000 in just one day.
“He just really touched my heart. I was only thinking we would raise like $1,000 and that would be great … but look how the community has come together,” Emerson said.
Emerson, who was planning to keep the donation amount a surprise, returned to Walmart to inform Thomas of her actions.
“When I showed him what everyone has done for him, he was amazed at the outpouring of love. He said this was going to bless his life in ways we can’t imagine,” Emerson added.
The GoFundMe page remains active and is available at gofundme.com.