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Stranger raises $180k for Burger King employee after he works shift still in graduation gear

He cried when he found out the fundraiser reached $6,000.

Mykale Baker GoFundMe

Stranger raises $180k for student working at Burger King

It's not uncommon for high school kids to work fast food jobs after school and on the weekends. Typically, when a student works while still attending high school, they usually take days off for special occasions like homecoming, prom, athletic obligations, and graduation. One student, Mykale Baker, took time off for his high school graduation but decided to head into work while still wearing his medals and graduation stole.

The sight of a clearly recent graduate working the grill at Burger King moved Maria Mendoza, who shared a short clip expressing pride for the teen's work ethic on social media. After some prompting from people who saw the video, she created a GoFundMe to help the hard-working teen pay for college. There were a couple of problems with the plan: Mendoza didn't know the teen personally, she hadn't spoken to him, and thus she wasn't sure if he was even planning to go to college.

Burger King; high school graduation; Mykale Baker GoFundMe; GoFundMe; paying for college; college; kindness of strangers Mykale Baker working after graduation.Mykale Baker GoFundMe

That didn't stop the stranger from doing what she could to make sure she helped the new graduate. Mendoza started the GoFundMe and it quickly surpassed it's $5,000 goal so she went back to Burger King a few days later to find the teen and show him how much people donated. At the time, the Georgia teen and his mother were brought to tears at the generosity; the campaign was sitting at just above $6,000 then.

Baker admitted to 11 Alive he wasn't sure what he was going to do after high school due to the lack of funds, but he was contemplating going into a trade. The story has since gone viral, which has resulted in even more donations surpassing the updated goal of $60k in just over a week. It is currently sitting at $187k with more donations pouring in by the minute.

Burger King; high school graduation; Mykale Baker GoFundMe; GoFundMe; paying for college; college; kindness of strangers Mykale Baker and Maria Mendoza smilingMykale Baker GoFundMe

Mendoza writes in the fundraiser description, "While many graduates spent the night celebrating with friends and family, one young man quietly showed the world what determination looks like. Just after receiving his diploma—still proudly wearing his medals—he reported to his shift at Burger King. He didn’t do it for attention. He doesn’t even know his story went viral. But thousands of people were moved by his dedication, humility, and work ethic."

The woman attended the high school graduation to see her daughter graduate and like many others, she stopped to get a bite to eat after the ceremony, which is where she spotted Baker. Turns out that the graduate wasn't even scheduled to work. He noticed the late night rush of customers after graduation and wanted to help his work family out by hopping behind the counter to clear the influx of orders. As for how he feels about the kindness he's been shown, he's thankful.

“I just want to say thank you to my parents and all the people that see the good in me and believe in me, and donated all that money to me,” Baker tells 11 Alive.

People who donated left encouraging words and kind wishes for his future with one person writing, "Mykale, Your work ethic and grind is contagious. We are rooting for you and investing in your future. You already have a strong foundation to succeed. I hope you take this opportunity to pursue higher education in a career that will bring you joy and a generous salary. -First Generation College Grad from Fresno, California."

"Congratulations, Mykale! You’re the true inspiration of hard work and dedication. Wishing you a life filled with endless blessings," another says.

Burger King; high school graduation; Mykale Baker GoFundMe; GoFundMe; paying for college; college; kindness of strangers Mykale Baker in cap and gownMykale Baker GoFundMe

"What an incredible young man! I am so proud of you and your accomplishments. Hard working and intelligent and kind. May God continue blessing you. You have a bright future ahead. The sky is the limit. Don't settle for anything less than you deserve. Congrats on graduating high school! Good luck to you young king. Your parents must be so proud. They did an outstanding job with you!" someone else shares.

One person shares advice, "I’m proud of you Mykale. There will always be needs around you … and it’s not uncommon that when people get a little money one of two things happen; first, people with needs show up, and second, people may treat you with contempt rather than celebrate with you. Just take these funds and accelerate your future. You already have the drive — just don’t let the critics pull you down at this pivotal moment. You’re going places my friend and I hope to be able to see what God does in your life."

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mykale baker gofundme

Health

Video reveals the 'sneaky' ways fast food restaurants trick you into spending more money

It all starts with the menu.

via Yum9me/Flickr

What does a Big Mac combo cost these days?

Even though inflation levels have slowed in the U.S. over the past few months, fast food is one industry where prices keep going up. It seems like there’s nowhere to turn when the places where we used to go to for a deal keep getting pricier and pricier.

According to CBS News, prices at “limited service” restaurants were up 6.2% last year, with America’s most popular fast-food joint, McDonald's, up 10%.

"Our average pricing level in the U.S. business for the full year will be just over 10%," Ian Borden, the company's CFO, stated in an October 2023 earnings call.

If you're still hoping to find a deal on fast food, Business Insider created a video that shows all the “sneaky” tricks fast-food chains use to get you to spend more than you intended.

Sneaky Ways Fast Food Restaurants Get You To Spend Money

One way they get you to spend more money is by having menus that are a "noisy mess of options and categories” that only highlight a portion of what's available. Looking for the value menu? That will be pushed to the corner of the menu so your focus stays on the pricier items on its left side.

You'll also notice that the photos of the items are large, but the price next to them is comparatively small.

"Food pictures, they light up the brain. Particularly when you're hungry. Large food pictures, for a food company, are key," Hans Taparia, a professor of business and society at NYU, told Business Insider.

The video also reveals that if you do the math, value meals really aren't a significant savings.

"If you buy multiple items on the value menu, it won't necessarily be cheaper than a Happy Meal," Taparia adds. In the example provided in the video, a McDonald’s Double-Quarter Pounder value meal is only 9 cents cheaper than if you purchased the items separately.

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inflation

Culture

Racist women told Burger King manager to 'go back to Mexico.' He gave them a lesson in civics instead.

— (@)

Social media may be "ruining society" according to a lot of people's grandparents. But it's also a pretty helpful tool for spotting racists and publicly shaming them. Incidentally, a lot of those racists are also people's grandparents... kinda makes you think, hmmm?

Recently, two elderly white ladies were spotted in a Burger King in Central Florida being racist towards a man who they overheard speaking Spanish. That man turned out to be the manager.

Some nearby customers were filming the incident and posted the video online where it's gone viral. "Go back to Mexico," says one of the women. "If you want to keep speaking Spanish, go back to your Mexican country." She then continues: "this is America. Our main language is English. ... Speak your Mexican at home."

Megan Rapinoe says the best way to support equal pay is by putting your money where your mouth is.

It's too bad racism is such a toxic and dangerous force destroying so many people's lives, because otherwise its sheer stupidity would be straight-up hilarious. You can't help but laugh at the ignorance of the old women in this video, especially since justice is served.

The manager, who is Puerto Rican not Mexican, calls the women "ignorant" and demands they leave the restaurant.

"Freedom of speech, ma'am," he says. "Guess what, ma'am, I'm not Mexican. You're being very prejudiced and I want you out of my restaurant right now."

One of the women says she wants to finish her meal first but the manager threatens to call the police and report them as trespassers, so they finally leave. "Just have a nice day and don't come back," he says.

Would you stay in a relationship with someone after learning they had a toxic political belief?

Unfortunately this isn't the first time a white person has aired their racist views in a public place, berating strangers for how they look, dress or speak. And it sadly probably won't be the last. But at least these hateful grannies won't be enjoying a Whopper at this particular Burger King anytime soon. And if they refuse to eat anywhere that employs people who speak multiple languages, they're going to starve. And that, my friends, is Darwinism at work.

This article originally appeared on SomeeCards. You can read it here.

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These women really, really weren't having it.

A man and woman walk into a Burger King. They order the same exact thing but pay two very different prices.

That's the premise of Burger King's new "Chick Tax" video. The hidden-camera video shows women's reactions when they're told that it'll cost them $3.09 for an order of Chicken Fries versus the $1.69 the man with them just paid.

Needless to say, many of the women in the video aren't happy about having to pay an extra $1.40 for the same product in pink packaging labeled "Chick Fries" — and rightly so. Ridiculous, right? Yeah, Burger King thought so too.

GIF via Burger King/YouTube.

"Chick Fries" aren't a thing, but there are a bunch of situations just like that everywhere you go. People call it the "pink tax."

The next time you're at the pharmacy, compare the cost of men's and women's razors. Maybe there's a slight difference? OK, now go into a store and check out the cost of a boy's T-shirt compared with a girl's — same material, same brand, and so on. The one aimed at girls might be a little more expensive. The same goes for any number of items.

In 2015, New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs compared 800 different products and their costs. What they found was that when comparing two obviously gendered versions of products (for example, a pink and blue disposable razor), women paid an average of 7% more than men. They looked at everything from toys to clothing to toiletries to senior home health care products. The "pink tax" was real, and it spanned the marketplace.

A view of the gift bag during the Ax the Pink Tax Panel in April 2018 in New York. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Refinery29.

People have been trying to bring attention to the pink tax for years. For example, in 2017, Cards Against Humanity released "Cards Against Humanity for Her," describing it as "exactly the same as the original Cards Against Humanity game, but the box is pink and it costs $5 more."

— (@)

Both Cards Against Humanity (who donated the extra cash made from people who actually bought the pink version of the game) and Burger King are just trying to make a point about how ridiculous it is for brands to present products as "for her" when the only difference is a change in color and maybe a cute and catchy slogan about empowerment or whatever. But this is actually what companies do. Why do we put up with it?

In some cases, like razors, there's really no reason women shouldn't feel comfortable stocking up on the men's version of things when they're cheaper. In others, like clothes, that may need to be tailored differently based on body shape, it's a little harder.

Some members of Congress are trying to pass a pink tax repeal.

In April, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California) and 27 of her colleagues introduced the Pink Tax Repeal Act, a bill that would prevent stores from pricing services or products from the same manufacturer differently based solely on the gender of the people being marketed to. While Speier was able to pick up three additional co-sponsors, the bill has more or less languished in committee since its introduction.

That's where you come in. Burger King's ad ends by asking viewers to call their members of Congress to urge action on the Pink Tax Repeal Act. Getting this bill through Congress and signed into law is an extreme long shot. Even so, this is an issue worth supporting. Charging people different prices based on their gender isn't OK when it's an order of Chicken Fries, and it's not OK when it's anything else either. Call your members of Congress today.

Watch Burger King's "Chick Fries" ad:

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Racist women told Burger King manager to 'go back to Mexico.' He gave them a lesson in civics instead. - Upworthy ›

Cody, a 10-year-old boxer-Labrador mix, loves cheeseburgers. And since his cancer diagnosis, his humans have been happy to indulge that craving.

Two months back, Cody got the bad news, with his vet giving him between just one and three months to live. His owner, Alec Karcher, shared his dog's story on Twitter, explaining how they were trying to make Cody's final days as happy as possible.

"My family and I were heartbroken by the news, but we decided we wanted to try and make the last part of his life the best we could," Karcher wrote. "Every day since we found out, we've gotten him a plain cheeseburger to eat with his many medications to make it easier and more enjoyable for him."

— (@)

On July 15, as Karcher stopped at his local Burger King in Toledo, Ohio, an employee asked about the family's newfound love of plain cheeseburgers. Karcher responded by telling the employee Cody's story.

"She immediately asked us to wait a second after she gave us our food," he wrote. "A few minutes later, she returned after talking to her manager. She asked us for a name and said that the rest of the cheeseburgers for Cody would be free at their location."

This might seem like something small, but to Karcher and his family, the gesture meant the world.

"I can't explain how much that means to us, and my family and I are beyond appreciative," he wrote.

The official Burger King account got in on the action, replying to Karcher's original post, offering well wishes and a thanks for allowing that location to have an effect on their lives.

— (@)

Burger King is right. The world does need more kindness and empathy. Small acts can add up in unexpected ways.

Maybe a small act of kindness is offering comfort to a heartbroken family or keeping a terminally ill dog's belly filled with his favorite food. It could also take any number of other forms, each as helpful as the one before it. The point here is that we all have the chance to make the world a better — or a worse — place for those around us. It's up to us how we choose to use our influence.

Cody is a good boy. Photo via Alec Karcher, used with permission.

May each burger be as delicious as the one before it, Cody. You are, of course, a very, very good dog.

Wear your values with products from PSA Supply Co., an independent site owned by our parent company, GOOD Worldwide Inc. GOOD makes money when you buy these products, and 10% of profits go to The Center for Community Change Action. Use discount code UPWORTHY to get 15% off your first order!

Stephen Curry is arguably the best basketball player in the world today, but can he also predict the future?

If you're a sports fan, you probably know who Stephen Curry is by now.

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He plays for the NBA's Golden State Warriors and was voted the league's Most Valuable Player for the 2014-2015 season.

Wait, the name still doesn't ring a bell?

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He's also the dad to an adorable daughter named Riley, who stole the show during his recent NBA press conferences.

He loves his kid and he wants her to experience this unique journey with him. That's a great way to embrace fatherhood.

Speaking of fatherhood, Stephen's dad, Dell Curry, was a really good NBA player in his own right. And just like most young kids, Stephen idolized his dad and wanted to be a basketball player just like him.

Thanks to a recently resurfaced Burger King commercial from the 1990s, we can see the bond between Stephen Curry and his father firsthand.

"You really gotta want it," Dell said.

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Apparently Stephen really wanted it, because now the young man is currently enjoying the life of NBA royalty. With his MVP award and a championship under his belt, he's likely exceeding even his dad's expectations.

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Being a good dad runs in the Curry family.

As the saying goes, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Or better yet, the basketball doesn't fall far from the hoop.

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Other than being great professional basketball players, these two men are amazing dads as well. Dell and his wife raised Stephen to be a great man on and off the court, and Stephen really enjoys being a dad to his two daughters.

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But fans of happy families want more. Next up, let's see a sequel to the commercial featuring Stephen and Riley.

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Get on that, Burger King.

burger king

Video reveals the 'sneaky' ways fast food restaurants trick you into spending more money

It all starts with the menu.

Sneaky Ways Fast Food Restaurants Get You To Spend Money

Racist women told Burger King manager to 'go back to Mexico.' He gave them a lesson in civics instead.

Megan Rapinoe says the best way to support equal pay is by putting your money where your mouth is.

Would you stay in a relationship with someone after learning they had a toxic political belief?

If you don't know what the 'pink tax' is, this Burger King ad is a great place to start.

These women really, really weren't having it.

A man and woman walk into a Burger King. They order the same exact thing but pay two very different prices.

"Chick Fries" aren't a thing, but there are a bunch of situations just like that everywhere you go. People call it the "pink tax."

Some members of Congress are trying to pass a pink tax repeal.

Watch Burger King's "Chick Fries" ad:

A terminally ill dog's love of cheeseburgers is the uplifting story we all need right now.

Cody, a 10-year-old boxer-Labrador mix, loves cheeseburgers. And since his cancer diagnosis, his humans have been happy to indulge that craving.

This might seem like something small, but to Karcher and his family, the gesture meant the world.

Burger King is right. The world does need more kindness and empathy. Small acts can add up in unexpected ways.

You have to see this touching moment between a future basketball star and his dad.

Stephen Curry is arguably the best basketball player in the world today, but can he also predict the future?

Thanks to a recently resurfaced Burger King commercial from the 1990s, we can see the bond between Stephen Curry and his father firsthand.

Being a good dad runs in the Curry family.

In the meantime, you gotta watch this quick video to see how the whole conversation between Dell and Stephen went down.

Beavers were brought to the desert to save a dying river. 6 years later, here are the results.

There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't

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Math professor shares thermo-dynamic hack to cool your sweltering car in seconds

We have a small favor to ask of you

burger king

He cried when he found out the fundraiser reached $6,000.

It all starts with the menu.

Sneaky Ways Fast Food Restaurants Get You To Spend Money

These women really, really weren't having it.

A man and woman walk into a Burger King. They order the same exact thing but pay two very different prices.

"Chick Fries" aren't a thing, but there are a bunch of situations just like that everywhere you go. People call it the "pink tax."

Some members of Congress are trying to pass a pink tax repeal.

Watch Burger King's "Chick Fries" ad:

Cody, a 10-year-old boxer-Labrador mix, loves cheeseburgers. And since his cancer diagnosis, his humans have been happy to indulge that craving.

This might seem like something small, but to Karcher and his family, the gesture meant the world.

Burger King is right. The world does need more kindness and empathy. Small acts can add up in unexpected ways.

Stephen Curry is arguably the best basketball player in the world today, but can he also predict the future?

Thanks to a recently resurfaced Burger King commercial from the 1990s, we can see the bond between Stephen Curry and his father firsthand.

Being a good dad runs in the Curry family.

In the meantime, you gotta watch this quick video to see how the whole conversation between Dell and Stephen went down.