The Viral Campaign To Help A Local Paleta Vendor Has Officially Gone Global

By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 13, 2016 5:59PM

Fidencio Sanchez / Courtesy of GoFundMe

Fidencio Sanchez is a modest, soft-spoken 89-year-old paleta vendor. He’s been selling popsicles from a pushcart for over two decades in Little Village, the same area that friends say he attends church every Saturday, at Little Village Hispanic Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Thanks to a supernaturally viral GoFundMe campaign, Sanchez is also now an international cause célèbre.

Chances are you know his story—and maybe have already given to the fund. Little Village native Joel Cervantes Macias set up the page on Friday to collect donations for Sanchez after he met the elderly paletero. Sanchez had recently returned to work, pushing his cart up and down 26th Street, to help deal with bills after the death of his only daughter. Macias felt moved, purposefully overpaid $50 for 20 paletas, and created the fundraiser. “Let's all pitch in and help make life a little easier and brighten (his and his wife’s) day,” he wrote. As of Tuesday afternoon, some 12,000-plus people have done just that; and the campaign continues to trend.

“Relief for Fidencio the paleta” man has netted over $270,000 in a little over three days—obliterating an initial goal of $3000. The page supernova’ed on Facebook, getting tens of thousands of shares on Facebook within days. Locally, Gozamos, DNAinfo and the Tribune wrote stories. But now Fidencio fever has gone global.

“I’ve only been with the company a few months, but this is right up there in terms of overall numbers,” Bart Jackson, Regional Communications Manager of GoFundMe, told Chicagoist. According statistics provided by Jackson, donations have come from 52 countries (!) so far. The largest-dollar amount was a $2,000 pledge.

"It's heartwarming to see so many folks rally around Fidencio and donate to the campaign," Jackson added.

Macias himself concurred, saying that he’s had people reach out from all across the world. The response from Germany has been particularly overwhelming he said. “I’ve spoken to people who have given from Greece, Belgium, Germany, Israel,” Macias told Chicagoist. “Interview requests are coming in from Turkey and Singapore.”

That shouldn’t surprise given that Sanchez’s story has now reached international media outlets, too. The Daily Mail took notice on Sunday, as did BBC News on Monday. A scrum of reporters was on hand for Sanchez’s first day of work since the campaign caught fire (yes, he’s still putting in some hours and making you feel incredibly ashamed of your work ethic.)

Still, Macias is quick to deflect attention away from himself and back to the cause. “There will always be a bond, forever,” he said, adding that Macias has grown closer also with Sanchez’s grandkids as they work out the best way to invest the money. “They really want to do the right thing."

Macias initially planned to give Sanchez the money yesterday, but said he will probably keep the fund open through the weekend, depending on interest. If the last few days have been a gauge, that seems highly likely.