Barack Obama Shouts Out San Antonio Author Shea Serrano for Making Coronavirus Donations to Strangers

While billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Mike Bloomberg — who just wasted untold millions on a failed presidential bid — are nowhere to be seen, hometown hero Shea Serrano put his money where his mouth is.

Last week, as shit started to hit the fan with the coronavirus pandemic, the Basketball (and Other Things) author cast out a lifeline on Twitter: "Who has a bill coming up that they're not sure they're gonna be able to pay? Send me your bill and your Venmo."

fuck coronavirus

who has a bill coming up that they’re not sure they’re gonna be able to pay

send me your bill and your venmo

— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) March 13, 2020

The requests — and donations from followers who also wanted to help — came flowing in, and according to the New York Times Serrano had distributed $10,000 directly to people in need by Sunday night.

Serrano kept the momentum going, although he switched from Venmo to CashApp for transfers. As ongoing proof, he's tweeted screenshots of the transfers, often with the caption "fuck coronavirus."

CashApp even got in on the action, sending $25 to random people in Serrano's name.

oh shit the homies at @CashApp are sending $25 to random people in my name lol incredible https://t.co/FZLBEKn9s1

— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) March 15, 2020

Serrano was by no means alone in his efforts, as author Roxane Gay also spread the love, followed in suit by other public figures including The Tick's Griffin Newman.

It wasn't just us plebeians who took notice, but also former President Barack Obama.

In a Twitter thread showcasing individuals an organizations coming together to help one another during this crisis, Obama shouted out Serrano and Gay's fundraising efforts.

"@rgay and @SheaSerrano are using their feeds to directly support people in need—and helping shift our ideas about how to approach giving," he tweeted.

.@rgay and @SheaSerrano are using their feeds to directly support people in need—and helping shift our ideas about how to approach giving.https://t.co/1JHPUYEiKV

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 19, 2020

Anyone interested in helping Serrano keep sending money to those in need — and get some reading material out of the deal — need only grab a copy of his latest book, which features illustrations from Arturo Torres.

WHERE DO YOU THINK WE ARE? — Ten Illustrated Essays About Scrubs is available as a PDF download and can be pre-ordered prior to its release on Monday, March 23.

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