Veteran, 76, forced to work DoorDash in Texas to afford healthcare for his family: ‘I wish I didn’t have to do it’

An elderly Texas veteran was forced out of retirement and now delivers takeout on DoorDash so that his family can afford healthcare — an increasingly common reality for many older Americans struggling to make ends meet.

Larry Phillip Colvin, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran, started delivering food in Mabank, about an hour southeast of Dallas, because his Social Security benefits couldn’t stretch to cover the medical bills of his wife, who requires surgery, and his son, who suffers from several autoimmune diseases, he said.

“My Social Security just wasn’t cutting it anymore,” Colvin told KTVT.. “I had to do something, and I can’t hold down a regular job.”

Colvin, who will turn 77 in May, works every night of the week except for Wednesday, when he attends church.

“I wish I didn’t have to do it at night,” he said, before adding he does “because that’s when you make money.”

Colvin caught the attention of Savannah Saulters, who ordered pizza on DoorDash on March 14, and was shocked to discover that the deliveryman was elderly and wearing a veteran’s cap. She has since launched a GoFundMe campaign for the vet – and has seen an outpouring of support with more than $50,000 in donations.

“There should be no reason that a 76-year-old man is delivering my pizza at 10:30 at night time. That should not be happening,” Saulters said.

Saulters took to social media to try to identify her delivery driver — and then learned that Colvin had been retired from his job as a repairman for 10 years.

The veteran’s daughter-in-law, Donna Colvin, said the gig work had been taking a toll on him.

“I think it’s very hard on him. I think he’s almost 77 years old, and it’s gotta take a toll somewhere,” she said.

Moved by his story, Saulters started a GoFundMe for Colvin’s family in the hope that it could help him ditch the delivery job.

“Many in our community have met [Colvin] through their orders, and his kindness and dedication have left a lasting impression,” Saulters wrote in the fundraiser.

“No parent should have to choose between earning a living and being there for their sick child. That’s why I’m starting this fundraiser — to help this devoted father take time off from DoorDash so he can focus on what matters most: Caring for his son,” she wrote.

Saulters added: “The funds raised will give him the breathing room he needs to be present for his family during this difficult time, without the added stress of late-night shifts.”

Colvin’s family has been moved by the gesture, telling the outlet it has already helped them “tremendously.”

“I say, ‘God bless that lady,’” Colvin said. “I’m very grateful. It’ll help pay off some bills.”

Colvin’s situation has become an increasingly more common scenario for many older Americans struggling to pay their medical bills and other expenses. Earlier this month, a similar scenario unfolded in Tennessee when Brittany Smith noticed a 78-year-old man named Richard “struggling” to climb the stairs while delivering her DoorDash order.

Smith discovered her daughter’s father, who is quadriplegic and often has things sent to the house for her, had ordered Starbucks for her.

“I was actually mad about it, because he often orders Starbucks for her, but we try to do it as more of a reward, and this was the third time he had ordered for her in the week,” she told The Independent. “So, I see the Ring doorbell go off, and I’m like, you’ve got to be kidding me, he had Starbucks sent again.”

When Smith clicked on the Ring doorbell app, she saw a “little old man walking up the steps.”

“This poor guy is struggling to get up my stairs to deliver my very capable daughter her Starbucks,” she said. “My daughter’s dad is a quadriplegic, so he often has things sent to the house because he can’t physically go get them.”

Smith tracked the driver down to get him a bigger tip, and later started a GoFundMe titled “Give Richard a Chance to Rest Again,” which had raised over $968,000 as of Wednesday.