An 89-year-old Weber County man has become “TikTok famous” after a family gave a big tip for pizza delivery.
With there being no shortage of places and ways to quell a person’s hunger for pizza these days. Carlos Valdez time and time again chooses Papa John’s in Roy, Utah for one particular reason.
“I love pineapple on my pizza,” he said with a laugh. “That’s the only thing my wife loves.”
It’s not so much because they think it’s the best-tasting pizza in the area, or that it is a community staple but more because of the delivery guy.
The Valdezes have gotten to know Derlin Newey from his deliveries to their house.
“Hello, are you looking for some pizza?” is a phrase Newey uses every time he delivers to them.
Newey is always so kind, the Valdezes ask for him by name whenever they order. They also record his deliveries for their TikTok videos (@vendingheads), which have become pretty popular with their 53,000-plus followers.
And what they did for this month’s #BeBetterHero is giving us all something to smile about. So we happily award the legendary Derlin Newey for keeping our spirits up during such unprecedented times and extend a digital high-five all the way to the Valdez family for bringing his story to us.
"How do I ever say thank you? I don't know what to say," - Derlin Newey
Newey delivers pizzas for Papa John's about 30 hours a week. He told KSL in a recent interview after his story went viral. He mentioned that he started the job after realizing he couldn't live solely on social security and needed to return to work somehow, even at his “old” age.
"It's insane. Everybody loves him," said Carlos Valdez.
With the tens of thousands of views they get when they post a video, they often got comments asking why Newey was delivering pizzas at his age. The family agreed that he shouldn't have to work so much and decided to use their platform for some good.
They asked their followers to make a donation to help Newey, and the money started rolling in.
The amount raised pretty quickly reached $12,000 and as of the time of this writing, they’re still receiving donations.
Almost believing it was too good to be true, the Valdez family ventured over to Newey’s home and presented a signed check to him as from his "TikTok Family."
Newey was completely caught off guard. He didn't even know what TikTok was but was grateful for the unexpected blessing.
"I don't know what to say, except thank you," said Newey.
“Somebody at that age should not be working that much.”
The Valdez family told KSL that the surprise couldn't have gone any better.
"He needed this. I'm just glad we could help him," said Valdez. "We just need to treat people with kindness and respect the way he does. He stole our hearts."
And if the cash wasn't enough, the family sweetened the surprise with a T-shirt that read, "Hello, are you looking for some pizza?"
Do you have a story of someone like Derlin Newey or anyone else in your community who is taking it upon themselves to make it one you're proud of? We’d love to hear from you so write to us and describe why they should be featured in one of our next #BeBetterHero posts!
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We hope each and every one of you are staying safe during such unprecedented times. Please remember to look out for those in need and try your best to stay connected to others if you’re practicing self-quarantine or social-distancing.
- Adam