A 90-Year-Old Veteran Was Pawning Jewelry for Rent Money. Then He Went Viral, and the Donations Started Pouring In. An elderly veteran named Donald was frequenting a New Hampshire pawn shop to sell his jewelry for rent money.
By Erin Davis
Key Takeaways
- A pawn shop employee and TikToker helped raise over $400,000 for Donald, a 90-year-old Air Force veteran in need.
- Donald's poignant story of selling jewelry to pay his rent after his wife’s dementia diagnosis tugged at heartstrings worldwide, leading to viral fundraising success.
An act of kindness unfolded in a New England pawn shop and the outpouring of support has now gone global.
Jenelle Marie, an employee at U.S. Gold & Pawn in Manchester, New Hampshire, was moved by the story of Donald, a 90-year-old Air Force veteran facing the financial hardship of increased rent while caring for his wife who had been recently diagnosed with dementia.
Related: Mark Cuban Warns About Fake Fundraisers on Social Media
Donald was frequenting the pawn shop to sell his jewelry for rent money, which led Marie and her fiancé to start a GoFundMe campaign to help the veteran.
"He told me that his wife had just got diagnosed with dementia and his landlord had to raise his rent on him, so it kind of pulled on my heartstrings," Marie told NewsNation. "I told the owner of the shop and he decided he wasn't going to collect interest from him … I thought that was really kind of him, and it kind of inspired me and my fiancé to start what I thought was just going to be a little GoFundMe."
Marie made a TikTok of her presenting the initial $1,300 raised to Donald, and the campaign went viral. Contributions began pouring in.
@jenellemarie0212 #veteran #actofkindness #usgoldandpawn #manchesternh #fypage #viral #feelgoodvideo ♬ original sound - Jenellemarie0212
"I hope two lessons: one is the smallest act of kindness can really change someone's life in more ways than you could ever imagine, and the other is just to raise awareness that we have to do better for our veterans," Marie said.
In a follow-up video, Marie posted birthday wishes for Donald from around the country, including a swag bag with autographed hats and balls from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The GoFundMe is currently over $434,000.
