A 27-year-old man from Virginia aiming to donate Goya Foods products to local pantries received the shock of his life after raising more than $135K — so far— in his GoFundMe page.
Casey Harper of Arlington, Va., said he started the fundraiser to “say no to cancel culture” in America. The move stemmed from the call to boycott Goya Foods products after its CEO issued pro-Trump comments.
“People are seeing in the news a double standard for one political view. Americans are fundamentally generous people. … I’m not surprised we have raised so much because people are tired of having to walk on eggshells in political discourse,” he said.
As of Monday, Harper has raised $135K after launching on Saturday afternoon. Nearly 4,000 people have donated, and he was surprised to see it quickly pass the original $10,000 goal.
“In a time where speaking your mind can cost you your job, or get you facing legal action because the corporate elite fears the mob just as much as anyone, the most important issue is to speak boldly at the risk of your own well-being. If enough people do that, lovers of free speech and limited government will win,” Harper added.
Harper notes that he will reach out to Goya and purchase products directly from the company.
Goya CEO Robert Unanue said the boycott against their company is “a reflection of a division that exists today in our country” that is “killing our nation.”
He said Goya will continue to extend help by giving generous donations to help the food security problem amid the coronavirus pandemic.