TikTok crowdsourcing raises $12K for 89-year-old pizza man

A crowdsourcing effort from TikTok raised $12,000 for an 89-year-old pizza delivery man.

Derlin Newey, who delivers pizzas for Papa John’s in Roy, Utah, received $12,069 after one of his frequent customers, Carlos Valdez, fundraised the money off TikTok, an NBC affiliate based in Salt Lake City, KSLTV, reported. 

Valdez recorded the 89-year-old’s pizza deliveries to his home, in which Newey usually said, “Hello, are you looking for some pizza?”

The customer’s 53,000 TikTok followers loved the videos, but many questioned why an 89-year-old was still working. 

This sparked Valdez’s idea to ask his followers to donate money if they could to help Newey. 

Newey had worked about 30 hours a week delivering pizzas because he couldn’t afford his bills on social security.

Valdez and his family delivered the money to Newey’s house Tuesday morning, while accompanied by KSLTV. 

“How do I ever say thank you? I don’t know what to say,” Newey said after receiving the money, while tearing up.

89-year old Derlin Newey is a pizza delivery man who received a surprise delivery of his own today. A couple who got to know him from his pizza deliveries raised $12,000 to help him out. He had no idea. The full story runs tonight on @KSL5TV at 6. #ksltv #goodnews pic.twitter.com/Z83K5LTKPh

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) September 22, 2020

“This couldn’t have gone any better,” Valdez told KSLTV. “He needed this. I’m just glad we could help him. We just need to treat people with kindness and respect the way he does. He stole our hearts.”