Man, 20, who walks 17 miles to and from work is gifted a new bike and $49,000 after story shared online

An Oklahoma man who walks 17 miles to and from work has been gifted a new bike, almost $50,000 for a car, and is now in the process of getting his license thanks to a compassionate Good Samaritan that offered him a ride.

As first reported by Fox 25 KOKH, Donte Franklin, 20, has to walk over eight miles each way to get to his job.

“I don’t like walking at all; I don’t. I walk just to make my family proud,” Franklin told the outlet.

He doesn’t always have a ride to get him to work as a cook at Buffalo Wild Wings on the other side of town. As a result, he has to leave his house roughly three hours before he even begins his shift.

“I haven’t missed a shift at all,” he adds.

Franklin also notes that the job means a lot to him, as most of his motivation comes from wanting to make his mom proud, who unfortunately passed away when he was 16-years-old.

“She had Hepatitis C, and after she passed away, it’s just been hard,” he said.

But last week, as the Oklahoma temperatures were scorching hot, a kindhearted stranger offered to pick him up, which changed his life.

“I’m like man; he’s walking a long way,” said Michael Lynn, the man who offered Franklin a ride.

Impressed with Franklin’s story of determination and willpower, Lynn took to his Facebook to share the story. It was shared more than 1,400 times.

So sweet.

“If they can just make one person go help someone else, that’s all that matters,” Flynn continued.

But the kindness doesn’t stop there.

A bike club in the area called My Riding Buddies Oklahoma (MRBO) surprised him with a bike in the meantime until he gets his driver’s license.

Now his long walk to work is coming to an end. And he also gained a friend in Lynn.

“I think we need to keep each other. I love this guy like my own,” Lynn says as he and Franklin embrace in a hug.

On June 15, a GoFundMe was created for Franklin to help raise money for him to purchase a car. And to date, the fundraiser received over $49,000 in donations.

“No other words can explain it. It’s a blessing, really,” Franklin said.

Check out the GoFundMe fundraiser here .