Woman Raises Funds for Elderly Veteran Who Took Delivery Job to Fix Roof

A Utah woman used social media to raise money for an elderly veteran who took a delivery job to help pay for repairs to his home.

Jen Cantwell Weiss from Ogden shared footage on November 15 showing a delivery driver struggling to get up the steps of her home as he dropped off groceries. “I didn’t watch this video til after he was already gone, or else I would have gone out to help him,” she wrote on Facebook. A relative of the man saw the footage and put him in touch with Weiss.

Weiss discovered the man, named Larry, is a veteran who suffered a stroke earlier in 2020 and had to relearn how to walk. Weiss shared his story on Facebook, saying he took the delivery job to pay for repairs to his roof, and appealed for people to help him with the costs.

Weiss posted his Venmo information and the donations started to roll in, she said. “I have been in touch with him and he is overwhelmed with gratitude,” she wrote on Facebook. “He did NOT ask for any help, but I love that people are touched by his story and want to help lighten his load a bit.”

Larry told local media that the donations covered his roof repairs and he no longer had to do deliveries.

Weiss shared an update on Facebook, saying Larry and his wife “requested that rather than continuing to donate to him, you donate to Toys for Tots or your local food bank. He says he has received more than enough and feels there are so many others out there who need the help more than he does.”

“He expresses his heartfelt gratitude for everything people have sent,” Weiss wrote. Credit: Jen Cantwell Weiss via Storyful