This Toronto Man Spent 24 Hours In A Denny's & Raised Over $5K For A Youth Shelter (VIDEO)
Losing in fantasy football isn’t all bad! 🏈
Juan Delgado at Denny's in Toronto. Right: Denny's entrance.
No one wants to spend 24 hours in a Denny's, but sometimes an unlucky hero has to.
Juan Delgado, a 39-year-old Toronto man, lost in his fantasy football league and was doomed to rot in a Denny' for hours on end, but he decided to make the most of his syrupy situation.
"Some leagues you can relieve some of the hours if you eat pancakes or waffles or whatever. This one is straight up 24 hours, so I decided to make lemonade out of lemons, and I did a bit of a fundraiser," Delgado told Narcity.
Delgado camped out in a red vinyl booth on Dundas Street West from 8 p.m. on January 28 to 8:05 p.m. on January 29 and managed to raise $5,641 for the Wagner Green YMCA, a youth shelter in downtown Toronto supporting young people experiencing homelessness that Delgado toured last summer and he learnt about their programs for at-risk youth.
Narcity visited Delgado at hour fourteen when he had just raised over $5,100, wildly surpassing his initial goal of $500, and he was a "little tired" but incredibly "humbled" by the support he'd received.
"You know what it's incredible, to say that I'm humbled is an understatement. The Toronto community has been so supportive... It'll go a long way for the Wagner Green YMCA," said Delgado.
@narcitytoronto Juan Delgado is spending 24 hours in a Toronto Denny’s from January 28 to 29 after losing in fantasy football. Narcity stopped by to check in on him Sunday morning and he’s making the best of his loss and fundraising for the Wagner Green YMCA. #dennys #torontolife #torontoontario #fyp #fantasyfootball
Leading up to his Denny's adventure, he advertised his league punishment in a "Making Denny's Great Again" campaign alongside the Greater Toronto YMCA, where he works as a senior marketing manager.
Delgado promised a feast of three Gland Slams, two orders of Mozza sticks, and 18 free refills of coffee, which he admitted may have been a bit of an exaggeration.
Throughout his 24 hours, Delgado downed six mozzarella sticks, two orders of chicken tenders, fries, a turkey club sandwich, a mango smoothie, french toast, a plate of eggs, bacon and sausage, soup, and a steak dinner.
Throughout his gruelling adventure, he slept for around 45 minutes, falling asleep while watching a movie and spent the rest of his time going live on Instagram, people-watching and getting to know the staff.
Although he did have a few surprise visitors to keep him company, including his baby and fiance, as well as his friend Andrew Phung, who people may know from Kim's Convenience and Run the Burbs.
Nelson Borges, director of the YMCA Greater Toronto, told Narcity that funds will help secure housing supplies for youth and "more on-site programming focused on increasing their skills, building their confidence, preparing them to live independently, and building connections in the community."