Community Raises Thousands To Support 81-Year-Old Walmart Worker and Veteran

September 24, 2025

In Yorktown, Virginia, neighbors are rallying around an 81-year-old Walmart receipt checker known affectionately as Mr. Thomas.

Sandra and Mr. Thomas / GoFundMe

A Vietnam veteran, Thomas returned to work despite his age after using his life savings to care for his wife, who suffered four heart attacks. With cane in hand, he continues working long shifts to make ends meet — until the community recently stepped in to lighten his load.

One shopper, Sandra Emerson, was so moved by Thomas’s story that she started a GoFundMe to help him. Expecting to raise around $1,000, she was stunned when donations quickly poured in. In just two days, the fundraiser surpassed $17,000, with more than $10,000 raised within the first 24 hours.

“He just really touched my heart,” Emerson said. “I was only thinking we would raise like $1,000 and that would be great … but look how the community has come together.”

When Emerson returned to Walmart to share the news with Thomas, his reaction was heartfelt.

“When I showed him what everyone has done for him, he was amazed at the outpouring of love,” she recalled. “He said this was going to bless his life in ways we can’t imagine.”

The outpouring of support is a powerful reminder of the good a community can achieve when it works together for a worthy cause.