--- title: Elderly Street Vendor Photo Leads to $160,000 in Donations description: An elderly street vendor who was photographed hunched over and struggling to push his ice pop cart in Chicago has touched the hearts of many. canonical: https://time.com/4488257/elderly-street-vendor-chicago-donations/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-12T19:40:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T06:46:34.800Z og:title: Photo of Elderly Street Vendor Leads to $160,000 in Donations og:description: "I will be able to rest" og:url: https://time.com/4488257/elderly-street-vendor-chicago-donations/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02ca765ef3a8f2bc/6988a59abc6cfc96d53de897/14387857_1473459014-142.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 600 og:image:height: 338 og:image:alt: Fidencio the paleta man og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Photo of Elderly Street Vendor Leads to $160,000 in Donations twitter:description: "I will be able to rest" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02ca765ef3a8f2bc/6988a59abc6cfc96d53de897/14387857_1473459014-142.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Photo of Elderly Street Vendor Leads to $160,000 in Donations: 'I Will Be Able to Rest' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=be3ece30-d7a0-4b37-8e93-3bbce4170954&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=be3ece30-d7a0-4b37-8e93-3bbce4170954&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=be3ece30-d7a0-4b37-8e93-3bbce4170954&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=be3ece30-d7a0-4b37-8e93-3bbce4170954&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Good Samaritan Raises Thousands for Elderly Street Vendor [Watch (HLS stream): Good Samaritan Raises Thousands for Elderly Street Vendor](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qWtJNfQb.m3u8) (0:45)  _Published 2016-09-12. When Joel Cervantes spotted an elderly street vendor pushing his popsicle cart around Chicago, he was impressed by the man’s work ethic. So he posted this photo to Facebook._  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Sep 12, 2016 7:40 PM UTC  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Sep 12, 2016 7:40 PM UTC An elderly street vendor who was [photographed hunched over and struggling to push his ice pop cart](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-strangers-donate-nearly-115k-to-elderly-little-village-vendor-20160911-story.html) in Chicago touched the hearts of thousands of people who have donated more than $160,000 to help him pay his bills. Fidencio Sanchez, 89, has been selling paletas, or Mexican ice pops, around the city alone after his wife, who used to help him, fell ill and the couple’s only daughter passed away, the Chicago _Tribune_ reports. More than 7,000 people have donated more than $160,000 to help him after a customer named Joel Cervantes was moved by his work ethic and began an [online fundraising page](https://www.gofundme.com/2am4q7kk) for the couple. “It broke my heart seeing this man that should be enjoying retirement still working at this age,” [Cervantes wrote on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1437923999568109&set=a.247559055271282.83392.100000515688106&type=3). “Let’s all pitch in and help make life a little easier and brighten both of their day.” Cervantes told the _Tribune_ that he was not surprised that the campaign took off the way it did because of the powerful image. “They seen how he’s struggling to pull the cart. He looks like he’s suffering, like he’ll never give up … they put two and two together, like they need to do this to survive,” he said. Sanchez told reporters through a translator that he was thankful for the donations, which he says may mean he won’t have to push his cart anymore to survive. “Well, seems to me like it won’t be necessary anymore and I will be able to rest more at home,” he said. “It means a lot, and the changes will be that there will be no need for me to work, and we will have help in all aspects—like getting better clothes and things that will improve our life at home.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4488257/elderly-street-vendor-chicago-donations/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4488257/elderly-street-vendor-chicago-donations/"},"headline":"Photo of Elderly Street Vendor Leads to $160,000 in Donations: 'I Will Be Able to Rest'","datePublished":"2016-09-12T19:40:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-07T06:46:34.800Z","description":"A photo of the 89-year-old man pushing a cart went viral","url":"https://time.com/4488257/elderly-street-vendor-chicago-donations/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02ca765ef3a8f2bc/6988a59abc6cfc96d53de897/14387857_1473459014-142.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02ca765ef3a8f2bc/6988a59abc6cfc96d53de897/14387857_1473459014-142.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Fidencio the paleta man","caption":"","creditText":"Fidencio the paleta man","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4488257/elderly-street-vendor-chicago-donations/","name":"Photo of Elderly Street Vendor Leads to $160,000 in Donations: 'I Will Be Able to Rest'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Good Samaritan Raises Thousands for Elderly Street Vendor","description":"When Joel Cervantes spotted an elderly street vendor pushing his popsicle cart around Chicago, he was impressed by the man’s work ethic. So he posted this photo to Facebook.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/qWtJNfQb/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-09-12T22:01:13.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qWtJNfQb.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4488257/elderly-street-vendor-chicago-donations/","duration":"PT45S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4488257/elderly-street-vendor-chicago-donations/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```