Ed Bambas, 88, was bagging groceries at Meijer during his regular shift when his life changed forever.
Social media influencer Samuel Weidenhofer shared a video of Bangbus in December. On TikTok, Bambas explained how the cost of caring for his wife and other factors combined to make it impossible for him to retire. The video went viral, and within a week, more than 60,000 online donors had raised nearly $2 million for VanBus.
Now, Bambas hopes to help other struggling veterans retire as well.
On April 30, Weidenhofer will launch the “For Your Service” campaign to raise $10 million for 50 additional veterans, one from each state. Bambas is donating $1,000 to each to start 50 GoFundMe efforts.
“I never dreamed I would be in this position where I wouldn’t be forced to work until I die,” Bambas told USA TODAY.
Weidenhofer said this speaks volumes about Van Bass’ character: “His first thought was not to splurge or buy a new home, but to really help veterans across the country.”
“Ed is that type of person,” Weidenhofer said. “His first thought was to help others.”
After Bambas’ story spread quickly, Weidenhofer said, “we were inundated with so many struggling veterans across this country.” Many of them lost their homes and hopes as they scrambled to salvage what they could from the Golden Age. Weidenhofer hopes the “For Your Service” campaign will honor Bamba and spread awareness about the barriers to retirement for thousands of American veterans.
“Each story is so unique and so impactful,” Weidenhofer said. “But at the end of the day, I don’t think this is just about helping 50 veterans. In some ways, I think it’s important to spread awareness so that there’s more support for veterans, that better systems are put in place.”
Weidenhofer will travel around the country during the campaign to meet with veterans and share their stories.
What is Ed Bambas doing in retirement?
Despite the success of his GoFundMe and finally retiring in January, Bambas has had a tough start to 2026.
He told USA TODAY that he had a medical problem with his gallbladder and “almost died.” Still, he’s grateful. “There’s a lot less pressure” on him now that he doesn’t have to go to work every day or worry about how to pay his bills.
“Every day I wake up a little bit easier,” Bambas says.
He said he was very happy to be able to spend time with Weidenhofer. The two reunited in April and announced the launch of the For Your Service campaign.
“We became friends right away,” Bambas said.
“I’m most happy to be reunited with my friends,” Weidenhofer added.
Madeline Mitchell’s role covering women and the care economy for USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Contact Madeline at: memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ With X.
