Screengrab of Donte franklin from GoFundMe that raised over $50,000 to help him purchase a car.
Screengrab of Donte franklin from GoFundMe that raised over $50,000 to help him get a car.
Antonio Jaramillo on GoFundMe
  • An Oklahoma man walked about 17 miles to his job each day.
  • Donte Franklin was walking one day when a stranger gave him a ride and shared his story on Facebook.
  • The post led to a GoFundMe that has raised over $50,000 to get Franklin a new vehicle.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A lift from a stranger led to more than $50,000 for an Oklahoma man who walked about 17 miles daily to get to his restaurant job.

Donte Franklin used to walk from his home to work before people donated money to purchase a vehicle. He told WKRC-TV that his journey to and from his destination was nearly two and a half hours each way.

Still, he has never been tardy or missed a day of work serving as a cook at Buffalo Wild Wings, according to KOKH-TV.

"I really don't care if it gets tiring. I just have to keep pushing," Franklin told the outlet. He added that his mother, who died when he was just 16, is an inspiration for his work ethic.

"I walk just to make my family proud," he said.

Earlier this month, Franklin was on his usual walk on a hot day when a stranger, Michael Lynn, gave him a ride.

"I was going down 12th Street, and I saw him. I was thinking, 'boy, it's a hot day,'" Lynn told KOCO.

After stopping Franklin and offering him a ride, Lynn posted about 20-year-old on his Facebook page. The post reportedly racked up more than 1,000 shares and caught the attention of a bike organization, which gave Franklin a new bike.

"It just touched me that this man is only 20 years old and is walking to two different jobs with nothing in the heat," Keri Collins of My Riding Buddies Oklahoma and Bikers for Elves told KOCO. "It opened my heart because kids his age don't do that."

After the widely circulated post, a GoFundMe page was created to help Franklin get a car. The fundraiser, a description for which says it was established on behalf of Donte's sister Shavonda, had raised more than $50,000 as of June 26.

"I can really help my family with this," Franklin told KOKH-TV. "It's just a really good blessing."

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