Casey Harper, a journalist in Arlington, Virginia, did not like the July 10 news that many people decided to boycott Goya Foods due to its CEO’s support of President Donald Trump.
He started a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise money to buy foods produced by Goya and donate the items to food pantries around the D.C. area. That was on July 11.
Harper, in his GoFundMe message, wrote that he was fed up with “cancel culture,” so he decided to buy some Goya items with $200 of his own money and begin stockpiling goods to donate.
The fundraiser had a point of view: It was titled “Buy GOYA — Support Trump & Feed the Hungry.”
His goal was $10,000.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Harper’s initiative raised over $200,000 from supporters, and it continues to gain traction. Over 5,000 people have donated, leaving comments along the way.
The burst of support has brought Harper national attention.
He appeared on the national Fox Business channel show “Varney & Co.” on Monday.
“It’s amazing,” he said during the appearance. He told the show’s host “that a CEO saying they praised President Trump is a source of controversy. … People can’t even say ‘the president is doing OK’ without fearing losing their job and their whole company going out of business.”
Harper said initially he was using the funds to shop at local grocery stores for the items, but since he’s raised so much money, he now is working to arrange a purchase directly from Goya.
Goya said it is the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the U.S., and after the initial story about praising Trump during a Thursday event at the White House, the company touted its charitable giving in a tweet.
Goya continues to work for the prosperity & education of our country! #GOYAGIVES two million pounds of food to food banks across the nation who are in desperate need of food for families impacted by COVID19. pic.twitter.com/ZUdxRUnpBl
— Goya Foods (@GoyaFoods) July 10, 2020
