The days on the job are numbered for a Michigan grocery store worker – but for good reason.

Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old veteran who works full-time at a Meijer outside of Detroit, was given an oversized check for a whopping $1.77 million, which was the result of an extraordinary fundraising effort by a social media influencer.

During his visit to the U.S., influencer Samuel Weidenhofer visited the Meijer store in Brighton where Bambas is employed and recorded a video for his 7.7 million TikTok followers. In the footage, Bambas shared why he continues to work, explaining that he retired as a salaried employee from General Motors in 1999, but in 2012, he lost his pension due to the company’s bankruptcy measures.

The Old General Motors offered lump-sum payments to about 42,000 retirees and their surviving beneficiaries that year, as they aimed to cut 24 percent from their U.S. pension obligation, NBC News reported at the time. NBC Chicago has not been able to confirm if Bambas was a part of those offerings.

Bambas’ life changed dramatically in the years after losing his pension when his wife became ill, he took on the role as her caregiver and medical bills began piling up.

“The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but like $10,000 of my life insurance,” he shared.

So, he sold the house, the property they had and “made it through.”

Bambas said his wife died seven years ago, and since then, he has been trying to reestablish himself.

The veteran hoped to live a little of the life he was hoping for, but he hasn’t had enough money to do so and instead has needed to work eight hours a day, five days a week to make ends meet.

Thanks to the power of social media and the generosity of strangers – that won’t be the case much longer.

Weidenhofer, who is traveling the world to help make a difference for those in need, launched an online GoFundMe campaign, urging people to help Bambas.

The response was overwhelming, with more than 15,000 people donating anywhere between $10 and $10,000.

In its first day, the fundraiser generated more than $800,000. By Friday, that number climbed to more than $1.7 million.

Weidenhofer’s efforts began after a message from Lexi Wallace, 26, who used to be a regular customer at the Meijer store before moving away; she went on the influencer’s Facebook page and urged him to find the beloved grocery store worker.

“I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me,” Wallace said. “I would love going to Meijer to see him.”

Bambas and Weidenhofer met again on Friday, where the Australian influencer said he had a “little surprise.”

It was anything but, however.

Weidenhofer revealed everything he and his followers had raised in what he said was one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history.

“If you want, you will be able to retire, because we’ve raised you $1.77 million,” he said.

 “Thank you. Oh, my God,” Bambas said as he wiped away tears and sniffles.

“It’s something that dreams are made of, trust me,” the 88-year-old said.

When it comes to his cashier post, Bambas isn’t leaving just yet.

“I’ll probably work another month or two and shut things down,” he shared.

The days on the job are numbered for a Michigan grocery store worker – but for good reason.

Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old veteran who works full-time at a Meijer outside of Detroit, was given an oversized check for a whopping $1.77 million, which was the result of an extraordinary fundraising effort by a social media influencer.

During his visit to the U.S., influencer Samuel Weidenhofer visited the Meijer store in Brighton where Bambas is employed and recorded a video for his 7.7 million TikTok followers. In the footage, Bambas shared why he continues to work, explaining that he retired as a salaried employee from General Motors in 1999, but in 2012, he lost his pension due to the company’s bankruptcy measures.

The Old General Motors offered lump-sum payments to about 42,000 retirees and their surviving beneficiaries that year, as they aimed to cut 24 percent from their U.S. pension obligation, NBC News reported at the time. NBC Chicago has not been able to confirm if Bambas was a part of those offerings.

Bambas’ life changed dramatically in the years after losing his pension when his wife became ill, he took on the role as her caregiver and medical bills began piling up.

“The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but like $10,000 of my life insurance,” he shared.

So, he sold the house, the property they had and “made it through.”

Bambas said his wife died seven years ago, and since then, he has been trying to reestablish himself.

The veteran hoped to live a little of the life he was hoping for, but he hasn’t had enough money to do so and instead has needed to work eight hours a day, five days a week to make ends meet.

Thanks to the power of social media and the generosity of strangers – that won’t be the case much longer.

Weidenhofer, who is traveling the world to help make a difference for those in need, launched an online GoFundMe campaign, urging people to help Bambas.

The response was overwhelming, with more than 15,000 people donating anywhere between $10 and $10,000.

In its first day, the fundraiser generated more than $800,000. By Friday, that number climbed to more than $1.7 million.

Weidenhofer’s efforts began after a message from Lexi Wallace, 26, who used to be a regular customer at the Meijer store before moving away; she went on the influencer’s Facebook page and urged him to find the beloved grocery store worker.

“I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me,” Wallace said. “I would love going to Meijer to see him.”

Bambas and Weidenhofer met again on Friday, where the Australian influencer said he had a “little surprise.”

It was anything but, however.

Weidenhofer revealed everything he and his followers had raised in what he said was one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history.

“If you want, you will be able to retire, because we’ve raised you $1.77 million,” he said.

 “Thank you. Oh, my God,” Bambas said as he wiped away tears and sniffles.

“It’s something that dreams are made of, trust me,” the 88-year-old said.

When it comes to his cashier post, Bambas isn’t leaving just yet.

“I’ll probably work another month or two and shut things down,” he shared.

The days on the job are numbered for a Michigan grocery store worker – but for good reason.

Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old veteran who works full-time at a Meijer outside of Detroit, was given an oversized check for a whopping $1.77 million, which was the result of an extraordinary fundraising effort by a social media influencer.

During his visit to the U.S., influencer Samuel Weidenhofer visited the Meijer store in Brighton where Bambas is employed and recorded a video for his 7.7 million TikTok followers. In the footage, Bambas shared why he continues to work, explaining that he retired as a salaried employee from General Motors in 1999, but in 2012, he lost his pension due to the company’s bankruptcy measures.

The Old General Motors offered lump-sum payments to about 42,000 retirees and their surviving beneficiaries that year, as they aimed to cut 24 percent from their U.S. pension obligation, NBC News reported at the time. NBC Chicago has not been able to confirm if Bambas was a part of those offerings.

Bambas’ life changed dramatically in the years after losing his pension when his wife became ill, he took on the role as her caregiver and medical bills began piling up.

“The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but like $10,000 of my life insurance,” he shared.

So, he sold the house, the property they had and “made it through.”

Bambas said his wife died seven years ago, and since then, he has been trying to reestablish himself.

The veteran hoped to live a little of the life he was hoping for, but he hasn’t had enough money to do so and instead has needed to work eight hours a day, five days a week to make ends meet.

Thanks to the power of social media and the generosity of strangers – that won’t be the case much longer.

Weidenhofer, who is traveling the world to help make a difference for those in need, launched an online GoFundMe campaign, urging people to help Bambas.

The response was overwhelming, with more than 15,000 people donating anywhere between $10 and $10,000.

In its first day, the fundraiser generated more than $800,000. By Friday, that number climbed to more than $1.7 million.

Weidenhofer’s efforts began after a message from Lexi Wallace, 26, who used to be a regular customer at the Meijer store before moving away; she went on the influencer’s Facebook page and urged him to find the beloved grocery store worker.

“I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me,” Wallace said. “I would love going to Meijer to see him.”

Bambas and Weidenhofer met again on Friday, where the Australian influencer said he had a “little surprise.”

It was anything but, however.

Weidenhofer revealed everything he and his followers had raised in what he said was one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history.

“If you want, you will be able to retire, because we’ve raised you $1.77 million,” he said.

 “Thank you. Oh, my God,” Bambas said as he wiped away tears and sniffles.

“It’s something that dreams are made of, trust me,” the 88-year-old said.

When it comes to his cashier post, Bambas isn’t leaving just yet.

“I’ll probably work another month or two and shut things down,” he shared.

The days on the job are numbered for a Michigan grocery store worker – but for good reason.

Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old veteran who works full-time at a Meijer outside of Detroit, was given an oversized check for a whopping $1.77 million, which was the result of an extraordinary fundraising effort by a social media influencer.

During his visit to the U.S., influencer Samuel Weidenhofer visited the Meijer store in Brighton where Bambas is employed and recorded a video for his 7.7 million TikTok followers. In the footage, Bambas shared why he continues to work, explaining that he retired as a salaried employee from General Motors in 1999, but in 2012, he lost his pension due to the company’s bankruptcy measures.

The Old General Motors offered lump-sum payments to about 42,000 retirees and their surviving beneficiaries that year, as they aimed to cut 24 percent from their U.S. pension obligation, NBC News reported at the time. NBC Chicago has not been able to confirm if Bambas was a part of those offerings.

Bambas’ life changed dramatically in the years after losing his pension when his wife became ill, he took on the role as her caregiver and medical bills began piling up.

“The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but like $10,000 of my life insurance,” he shared.

So, he sold the house, the property they had and “made it through.”

Bambas said his wife died seven years ago, and since then, he has been trying to reestablish himself.

The veteran hoped to live a little of the life he was hoping for, but he hasn’t had enough money to do so and instead has needed to work eight hours a day, five days a week to make ends meet.

Thanks to the power of social media and the generosity of strangers – that won’t be the case much longer.

Weidenhofer, who is traveling the world to help make a difference for those in need, launched an online GoFundMe campaign, urging people to help Bambas.

The response was overwhelming, with more than 15,000 people donating anywhere between $10 and $10,000.

In its first day, the fundraiser generated more than $800,000. By Friday, that number climbed to more than $1.7 million.

Weidenhofer’s efforts began after a message from Lexi Wallace, 26, who used to be a regular customer at the Meijer store before moving away; she went on the influencer’s Facebook page and urged him to find the beloved grocery store worker.

“I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me,” Wallace said. “I would love going to Meijer to see him.”

Bambas and Weidenhofer met again on Friday, where the Australian influencer said he had a “little surprise.”

It was anything but, however.

Weidenhofer revealed everything he and his followers had raised in what he said was one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history.

“If you want, you will be able to retire, because we’ve raised you $1.77 million,” he said.

 “Thank you. Oh, my God,” Bambas said as he wiped away tears and sniffles.

“It’s something that dreams are made of, trust me,” the 88-year-old said.

When it comes to his cashier post, Bambas isn’t leaving just yet.

“I’ll probably work another month or two and shut things down,” he shared.

The days on the job are numbered for a Michigan grocery store worker – but for good reason.

Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old veteran who works full-time at a Meijer outside of Detroit, was given an oversized check for a whopping $1.77 million, which was the result of an extraordinary fundraising effort by a social media influencer.

During his visit to the U.S., influencer Samuel Weidenhofer visited the Meijer store in Brighton where Bambas is employed and recorded a video for his 7.7 million TikTok followers. In the footage, Bambas shared why he continues to work, explaining that he retired as a salaried employee from General Motors in 1999, but in 2012, he lost his pension due to the company’s bankruptcy measures.

The Old General Motors offered lump-sum payments to about 42,000 retirees and their surviving beneficiaries that year, as they aimed to cut 24 percent from their U.S. pension obligation, NBC News reported at the time. NBC Chicago has not been able to confirm if Bambas was a part of those offerings.

Bambas’ life changed dramatically in the years after losing his pension when his wife became ill, he took on the role as her caregiver and medical bills began piling up.

“The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but like $10,000 of my life insurance,” he shared.

So, he sold the house, the property they had and “made it through.”

Bambas said his wife died seven years ago, and since then, he has been trying to reestablish himself.

The veteran hoped to live a little of the life he was hoping for, but he hasn’t had enough money to do so and instead has needed to work eight hours a day, five days a week to make ends meet.

Thanks to the power of social media and the generosity of strangers – that won’t be the case much longer.

Weidenhofer, who is traveling the world to help make a difference for those in need, launched an online GoFundMe campaign, urging people to help Bambas.

The response was overwhelming, with more than 15,000 people donating anywhere between $10 and $10,000.

In its first day, the fundraiser generated more than $800,000. By Friday, that number climbed to more than $1.7 million.

Weidenhofer’s efforts began after a message from Lexi Wallace, 26, who used to be a regular customer at the Meijer store before moving away; she went on the influencer’s Facebook page and urged him to find the beloved grocery store worker.

“I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me,” Wallace said. “I would love going to Meijer to see him.”

Bambas and Weidenhofer met again on Friday, where the Australian influencer said he had a “little surprise.”

It was anything but, however.

Weidenhofer revealed everything he and his followers had raised in what he said was one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history.

“If you want, you will be able to retire, because we’ve raised you $1.77 million,” he said.

 “Thank you. Oh, my God,” Bambas said as he wiped away tears and sniffles.

“It’s something that dreams are made of, trust me,” the 88-year-old said.

When it comes to his cashier post, Bambas isn’t leaving just yet.

“I’ll probably work another month or two and shut things down,” he shared.

The days on the job are numbered for a Michigan grocery store worker – but for good reason.

Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old veteran who works full-time at a Meijer outside of Detroit, was given an oversized check for a whopping $1.77 million, which was the result of an extraordinary fundraising effort by a social media influencer.

During his visit to the U.S., influencer Samuel Weidenhofer visited the Meijer store in Brighton where Bambas is employed and recorded a video for his 7.7 million TikTok followers. In the footage, Bambas shared why he continues to work, explaining that he retired as a salaried employee from General Motors in 1999, but in 2012, he lost his pension due to the company’s bankruptcy measures.

The Old General Motors offered lump-sum payments to about 42,000 retirees and their surviving beneficiaries that year, as they aimed to cut 24 percent from their U.S. pension obligation, NBC News reported at the time. NBC Chicago has not been able to confirm if Bambas was a part of those offerings.

Bambas’ life changed dramatically in the years after losing his pension when his wife became ill, he took on the role as her caregiver and medical bills began piling up.

“The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but like $10,000 of my life insurance,” he shared.

So, he sold the house, the property they had and “made it through.”

Bambas said his wife died seven years ago, and since then, he has been trying to reestablish himself.

The veteran hoped to live a little of the life he was hoping for, but he hasn’t had enough money to do so and instead has needed to work eight hours a day, five days a week to make ends meet.

Thanks to the power of social media and the generosity of strangers – that won’t be the case much longer.

Weidenhofer, who is traveling the world to help make a difference for those in need, launched an online GoFundMe campaign, urging people to help Bambas.

The response was overwhelming, with more than 15,000 people donating anywhere between $10 and $10,000.

In its first day, the fundraiser generated more than $800,000. By Friday, that number climbed to more than $1.7 million.

Weidenhofer’s efforts began after a message from Lexi Wallace, 26, who used to be a regular customer at the Meijer store before moving away; she went on the influencer’s Facebook page and urged him to find the beloved grocery store worker.

“I thought his name was Bob. He never corrected me,” Wallace said. “I would love going to Meijer to see him.”

Bambas and Weidenhofer met again on Friday, where the Australian influencer said he had a “little surprise.”

It was anything but, however.

Weidenhofer revealed everything he and his followers had raised in what he said was one of the largest individual fundraisers in GoFundMe history.

“If you want, you will be able to retire, because we’ve raised you $1.77 million,” he said.

 “Thank you. Oh, my God,” Bambas said as he wiped away tears and sniffles.

“It’s something that dreams are made of, trust me,” the 88-year-old said.

When it comes to his cashier post, Bambas isn’t leaving just yet.

“I’ll probably work another month or two and shut things down,” he shared.