Walt Zerod, a Michigan father of four who stocks Red Baron frozen pizzas in grocery store freezers, has paused a GoFundMe after strangers gave $784,273 in about a week. The fundraiser started after a prank video showed him on the job, and by Thursday, Nov. 5, roughly 22,800 donors had given, IBTimes UK reported.
Zerod paused the donations himself and asked supporters to give to other families in need instead, while Red Baron said he remains a valued member of its team. The fundraiser had a stated goal of $900,000.
What the Video Showed
The clip showed Zerod restocking frozen Red Baron pizzas at a Meijer grocery store in White Lake, Michigan, according to Fox News Digital’s Oct. 31 report. A person approached and asked him for the time. As Zerod took out his phone, the person played a sound resembling an Apple Pay payment and claimed to have taken $10 from him.
Zerod grew upset as the person insisted it was a joke. He said he planned to report it, and in the clip he says, “My life is hard enough as it is.” He explained that he had gotten home an hour late the night before, after his children were asleep, that he had to be at work at 5 a.m., and that he was struggling to pay his mortgage, Fox News Digital reported.
The clip circulated on social media rather than starting as a TikTok: the prank was linked to an Instagram account that was later deleted, IBTimes UK reported. Red Baron told Fox News Digital the encounter itself took place in August; the clip spread widely online in late October.
The Frozen Pizza Aisle Behind the Story
Zerod’s job happens largely out of shoppers’ view. Direct-delivery workers for brands like Red Baron bring the product to the store and stock the freezer cases themselves, rather than leaving that to store staff. Meijer, where the video was filmed, is a Michigan-based chain headquartered in Walker, Michigan, with more than 500 stores across six states.
Frozen pizza remains a weeknight standby for families, and those who want to take the next step at home often start with the right tools, like a sturdy pizza peel for home cooks or a backyard outdoor pizza oven. For a frozen pie, the basics still apply: keep it frozen until baking and follow the package directions so it cooks all the way through. Households that plan meals around a well-stocked fridge and freezer often keep a list like this one of essential items to store in the refrigerator.
How the Fundraiser Grew to $784,273
The GoFundMe was launched on Oct. 27 by Luke Oakenshield, an Arizona resident and military veteran, according to IBTimes UK. It was titled “Support a Harassed Red Baron Worker,” and the money was set to go directly to Zerod.
Earlier coverage tracked the pledges for the Red Baron worker as they came in. The story joins other recent cases of strangers rallying around a working person, such as a Cleveland shop owner whose break-in turned into a sale and a fundraiser after customers showed up to help.
The total climbed fast. By Saturday, Oct. 31, it had passed $679,000 from more than 19,000 donations, Fox News Digital reported. By Nov. 2, it stood at about $750,000 from more than 21,000 donations, according to a separate IBTimes UK report. As of Thursday, Nov. 5, the total had reached $784,273 from roughly 22,800 donors when Zerod paused new donations, IBTimes UK reported on Nov. 6. Dexerto reported a slightly higher figure, above $787,000, the same day the fundraiser closed.
In an earlier update, Zerod wrote that the kindness and encouragement shown to him and his family meant more than he could put into words, Fox News Digital reported. In what Dexerto described as his final public update, he said he would not do interviews in order to protect his family’s privacy, thanked donors, and encouraged supporters to give to other fundraisers, local charities or churches helping families.
What Red Baron Said
The company backed its employee publicly. Red Baron told Fox News Digital that Zerod is part of its Direct Store Delivery team, the workers who stock its products directly in grocery freezers, and that it checked in with him after the incident and continues to offer support. The company also said it is working with retail partners to keep stores safe and respectful places to work.
Viewers sided with Zerod quickly. One X user wrote, “There’s a guy like him in every grocery store in America, grinding through the shift nobody sees,” according to Fox News Digital.
On X, Red Baron posted that Zerod is “still here” and has “a fan club,” and joked that “employee of the month nominations are closed,” Fox News Digital reported. The company also said Zerod is doing well and “remains a valued member” of its team, and that he is grateful for the support but has asked for privacy.
The response ran from the first donations on Oct. 27 to the pause on Nov. 5, about nine days in all.
The generosity also reached the man who started it all. A friend organized a separate fundraiser for Oakenshield on Oct. 29, and it had raised $60,405 toward a $70,000 goal by Nov. 2, IBTimes UK reported. Dexerto reported that Zerod said he plans to stay in touch with Oakenshield.
With donations closed, the fundraiser total stands at $784,273, according to the most recent reporting. Red Baron says Zerod is still on the job.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
