Co-Workers Secretly Raise Funds To Purchase 60-Year-Old Colleague New Car

Dec 18, 2020 by apost team

Darlene Quinn fell on hard times last year when her car broke down, forcing her to walk 24 miles every day to and from work. Inspired by their coworker's plight, employees at the South Carolina FedEx packaging facility decided to set up an online fundraiser in October 2019 to gather the funds to buy her a new vehicle. When Quinn finally found out, she couldn't help herself from breaking down into tears. 

Darlene Quinn, 61, was forced to walk 12 miles each way to and back from work for three months after her car's transmission and the radiator went out. According to the GoFundMe page, the package handler would be on her way at 4 am each morning to start the long trek to the FedEx facility in which she worked in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Josh Lewis, a coworker of hers, said he and his boss, Mark McDaniel, would pick her up when they saw her walking and give her a ride to wherever she was going. Touched by her desperate situation, Quinn's coworkers set up a GoFundMe page last year to raise awareness of her plight and raise funds to buy her a new vehicle. 

"She walks in the rain, in the cold, in whatever weather condition she has to in order to get to work and support herself," Lewis wrote on the fundraiser's page. 

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The good samaritan revealed that whenever he or McDaniel would pick Quinn up, she would always ask to be dropped off at the nearest grocery store. 

"Anytime we pick her up and ask her where does she need to go and she always tells us, Walmart," he explained. "She gets just enough groceries for that day because that is all she can carry. She is so humble and grateful for the rides we have been giving her. Often she asks if she can give us gas money, to which we always in the most polite way tell her no."

Lewis also revealed that his coworker had begun working six days per week in order to save up for a new car. 

"I can't even begin to imagine having to walk that far, then work at a very physically demanding job, then turn around and walk 12 miles back home," he wrote.

Just one week after FedEx employees set up the fundraiser, the page had already garnered enough funds from over 100 donations to buy Ms. Quinn a new vehicle. Lewis and his coworkers then got in touch with a local car dealer to find her a suitable new set of wheels and surprised her with it later that same day. The big reveal was caught on video by Lewis and showed a visibly emotional Quinn as she received the heartwarming news. 

"There is a lot of people in this community that love you and care about you," Lewis is heard saying in the footage. "You have inspired so many of us to do great things, so me and about 100 other people got together, and we raised enough money to buy that car [in] cash for you today."

Quinn immediately breaks down into tears as Lewis says they bought her the car because they "love" her and because she's "awesome." She was so moved, she had to grab the back of her chair to hold on to it. Lewis then took Quinn out to take a look at her new 2014 Chevy Captiva, and suddenly, she was all smiles. 

"It was amazing," Lewis told Greenville Online of the sweet moment. "She just started bawling crying and saying how she can't believe that this is happening to her."

Touched by the story, two local businesses also wanted to help Quinn, with one offering her free oil changes and the other tire service whenever she needed it, reports USA Today. Moved by how her community had come together in her aid, Lewis said Quinn wanted to find a way to thank each and every one of the people who took part in the fundraiser. As a small gesture, she gave Lewis a 'thank-you' card to send out to all the donors.

"I told her she's just an inspiration," Lewis told USA Today. "I know I don't think I would walk 12 miles just to go to work or to come home from work on a daily basis."

Lewis had been offering the locals who were following the story updates on his Facebook page, where he posted multiple photos and a video of Quinn's reaction. 

 "She said that the words in this card express how she feels from deep in her heart," Lewis wrote in one Facebook post, according to FOX2. "The smile and joy that have been bubbling out of her the past few days have been so worth everything that was done for her."

In a seperate post, the FedEx worker thanked everyone who had participated but claimed he "[didn't] deserve the glory and recognition" for the deed. 

"Each and every person in this community stood up to take care of one of our own. My entire goal for this was to bless Darlene," he wrote. "At the same time now that we have done that I hope that people are encouraged. Encouraged to take a chance and get to know your neighbor."

In the same post, Lewis revealed he had become inspired to help his colleague after two friends had helped him just a few months before setting up the GoFundMe page when he himself was in need. He explained that he desperately needed to furnish his apartment and a vehicle to transport the items for the move but lacked the funds and didn't know what to do. That's when two friends who he "had not seen in almost 11 years" stepped up and offered him some much-needed assistance by offering him furniture for free. "[She] took me through her house and told me 'If there is anything that you see in this house that you need then please take it,'" Lewis wrote. 

Boss McDaniel and his wife, on the other hand, realized Lewis needed a reliable vehicle for work, so he took it upon himself to buy him one. 

"If it weren't for the generosity of these 2 families there is no way I would be where I am today," he admitted, before saying that the whole campaign for Quinn can be traced back to their deeds. 

What do you think of this South Carolina community stepping up for their neighbor in her time of need? Do you have any similar heartwarming stories in which a community came together to help someone in a difficult situation? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!