Viral Burger King employee has EMOTIONAL REUNION with daughter and grandchildren
A Burger King employee, who went viral after receiving an "insignificant" goodie bag from the fast food giant for his service of 27 years, had an emotional reunion with his daughter and grandkids. Kevin Ford appeared on Today show on Tuesday, June 28, as he expressed his gratitude towards people for supporting and donating to him. He said, “It’s like a dream, a dream come true, that nobody can think of this. It’s just overwhelming. Especially all of the support I'm receiving every day. It's awesome.”
During the show, Ford also said, “I just can't believe this. Thank you, thank you everybody. I just want to tell everybody out there, thank you for every cent. Just the thought of watching the video and just having a reason to smile. I want to thank everybody. There's been donations from Australia, the UK — all around the world. I just want to say thank you to everybody. It's just a dream come true. It's just a whirlwind of love. Spread the love, cause every day you need it.”
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Fotd also clarified that his video showcasing the content of the goodie bag was not to shame his employer. He added, “I was just grateful to have it. I'm still grateful! I have that [Starbucks] cup in my room!” HMSHost, the company that provides workforce to Burger King, also shared a statement with Today that read, “This recognition of Mr Ford by another employee captured the essence of our culture of appreciation, caring and inclusion and reflects the best of our company — our people. Mr Ford is a valued associate and member of an honored group of employees that have worked for us for many years.”
But Ford could not control his tears when he met his daughter, Seryna, who started a GoFundMe for her dad in which stand-up comedian David Spade also contributed $5,000, and the three grandchildren – Charlotte, Caroline and Jovonne. The reunion apparently happened for the first time in four years. Seeing them, he said: “I haven't seen them. I haven't touched my grandchildren or anything.”
Seryna also expressed herself on the show as she stated: “It's a lot to take in, honestly. It means a lot. It means a lot to us,” before adding, “I didn't have high expectations when I posted it [GoFundMe], honestly. It definitely exceeded expectations. My dad deserves the world to me, in my opinion. My dad gave me the world. My dad made me the person that I am. I love my dad more than I can ever put into word.”
When co-host Savannah Guthrie asked Ford how he went to work everyday for continuous 27 years, he replied: “I don't know how I did it. It's just something… you just work. You got to feed these kids and put them through school. I never even thought of missing a day.” But he explained why he thinks his story clicked with many. “I think it just has to do with the fact that people love to see somebody grateful for something and happy for the little things, which I am.
“I've been through a lot, everybody's been through a lot. So I look for the smaller things. I'm grateful for everything. I'm grateful for every day that I wake up and go to work and be a good citizen, be a good American,” he concluded. Ford’s story has also inspired his grandson, who told TODAY: “Don't be greedy.”