Retired U.S. Army specialist turned Detroit-area supermarket cashier Ed Bambas has seen it all, including what he says is the remarkable kindness and generosity of strangers.
At 88 years old, Bambas can’t believe he has nearly $2 million dollars in the bank thanks to a GoFundMe page that was set up on his behalf. The struggling octogenarian, Army veteran, former General Motors assembly man and widower has been working 40 hours a week in a grocery store simply to make ends meet – and now wants to pay his good fortune forward.
“It’s something I feel I need to do,” said Bambas in an interview with Military.com. “I’ve always been on the generous side.”
Born in 1937, Bambas graduated from high school and went right to work for General Motors. He spent the next 40 years with the company, taking breaks to serve on active duty for six months and then in the U.S. Army Reserves for six years, until his retirement in 1999.
The GoFundMe in Bambas’ name was meant to help him retire once and for all – this time as a cashier – a job he took after losing his 81-year-old wife, Joan, in 2018 to complications from a debilitating form of arthritis. Heartbroken and nearly bankrupt, Bambas said he had no choice but to go back to work to survive.
“General Motors went bankrupt in 2012, and that took my pension, my health insurance, all but $10,000 in life insurance. They gave me a lump sum of $350,000 to live off,” said Bombas. “But my wife got sick. Her meds and hospital treatments took all of that money, and I had to sell the house. It wasn’t enough.”
Bambas’ hard work at his age caught the attention of Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer, who met Bambas on the job and took a social video of him that went viral with more than one million likes on Instagram. Weidenhofer says it was Bambas’ quiet dignity, strength, and perseverance that made him want to use his social media influence to try to retire Bambas for good.
“It all started with Ed. I was looking for stories in the Michigan area, people that I could help,” said Weidenhofer. “I happened to be in Ed’s store one day and started talking to him, and was amazed by his story.”
Hundreds of thousands of others were equally amazed, donating to Bamba’s GoFundMe page to help him retire once and for all. To date, 67-thousand donations have poured in, totaling $1.9 million dollars – and counting.
“I can’t thank them enough, but there are others just as destitute, if not more destitute, and need help too,” said Bambas. “So I’m sharing the GoFundMe money by donating $1,000 to 50 veterans in all 50 states. That’s $50,000.”
The campaign is called “For Your Service – 50 Veterans, 50 States, 50 Days.” It’s Bambas’ way to help others after so many pitched in to help him.
“I’m very grateful to do it,” he said. “We’re all on the same earth together, and we all have to help each other, not hurt each other. I’m paying it forward.”
Starting May 1, 2026, “For Your Service” has its own GoFundMe site accepting donations beyond Bambas’ $50,000 offering. Putting Weidenhofer’s social media influence to use again, the goal of the fundraiser is to give a pool of veterans nationwide a helping hand.
“A mission to ensure that 50 veterans and/or their families are financially secure for life,” reads the new GoFundMe page, which has been reviewed by Military.com. “Together we thank veterans across America for their service.”
Bamba’s 63-year-old son Mike says he can’t believe how quickly and how far his dad’s story has spread.
“It’s unbelievable, the outpouring,” said the younger Bambas, in an interview with Military.com. “My dad is getting letters and donations from people all around the world. It’s very touching.”
Weidenhofer says Bambas’ desire to help others is what makes the new GoFundMe campaign especially meaningful.
“I opened the initial fundraiser to help Ed live the life he deserves and to finally give him some relief, comfort and peace of mind,” said Weidenhofer. “But this new mission to help 50 veterans in 50 states is something neither one of us saw coming, but we’re so happy to help.”
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