If you happened to stop by the Winn-Dixie in Metairie, Louisiana, sometime in the past two decades, there’s a good chance you’ve seen 90-year-old Dillon McCormick in the parking lot heaving as many as 20 grocery carts at a time with a smile on his face.
The United States Air Force veteran’s work ethic puts most younger supermarket workers to shame.
“They only require you to push four at a time….but that’s too slow,” McCormick told local CBS outlet WWL-TV.”I love working at Winn Dixie, I get to talk to more people. I try to be nice to them or polite to them really.”
McCormick’s job isn’t just for fun, however — it’s something he needs just to keep food on the table.
Or, at least, it was something he needed until he met former local Louisiana news anchor Karen Swensen.
After meeting the upbeat veteran and learning about his financial situation, Swensen decided to use her influence to give McCormick the means to retire.
Dillon McCormick, a 90-year-old Air Force veteran, was working outside in the sweltering Louisiana heat when he caught the attention of journalist @karenswensen.
That’s when Swensen got the community to rally around him. They told @DavidBegnaud about their chance encounter. pic.twitter.com/R2I1GfKLMO
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) June 3, 2024
Swensen set up a GoFundMe account for McCormick, detailing her experiences meeting the man in a plea for others to pitch in.
Should the government do more for our veterans?
“Today, Memorial Day, in 90-degree heat (with a heat index of 103(!) thanks to the humidity), I watched a 90-year-old UNITED STATES AIR FORCE VETERAN collect and push shopping carts at a Metairie, Louisiana grocery store. Back and forth, back and forth, stacking cart after cart, sometimes more than twenty at a time,” Swensen wrote.
“Mr. McCormick is working to EAT, he said. He needs $2500/month to live and says he only gets $1100 from social security,” Swensen continued. “So he must push carts in triple digit heat to make ends meet. He had the kindest smile and greatest attitude. He is grateful for his job and his work ethic speaks for itself.
“He is a veteran of the United States Military. It’s Memorial Day. It’s hot. Mr. McCormick was born in 1933, making him a part of the Silent Generation. Please, America, let us be his voice. We can do this. No donation is too small. If we could raise even enough for him to retire for a year, it’s something. Thank you!”
By May 28, less than 24 hours after the fund was set up, over $220,000 had been raised to put towards McCormick’s retirement.
He no longer has to push carts anymore — but that doesn’t mean he’s stopping yet.
After giving McCormick the news, he let WWL and his manager know he’s not quite done with Winn-Dixie yet.
“He said I can keep my job..that’s the most important thing. I like to stay busy,” he said.
The grocery store’s management is happy to have him.
“We’re so proud to have and he has a job here as long as he wants,” a manager told WWL.
