Michigan man who walks 21 miles to work given new car

Man who walks 21 miles to work receives outpouring of suport

Dedicated employee talks about the experience

A Michigan man who walks 21 miles to and from work each day was surprised with a new car at a local Ford dealership Friday.

"I really couldn't express how I'm feeling right now about this whole thing," James Robertson told Fox & Friends Saturday.

The Detroit Free Press last weekend told of Robertson's long hike to work everyday, something he has been doing for 10 years. Since that story, Robertson has now received a new car and an anonymous fund was started that has raised more than $300,000.

Robertson told Fox & Friends that hoofing to work each day to get there on time was important to him. He works at a plastics factory earning less than $11 an hour.

"There were times I was thinking that sometimes I didn't want to go on, but then a voice inside of me said leave it alone because your girlfriend don't want to hear about, your boss don't want to hear about it, your co-workers don't want to hear about and your friends don't want to hear about it," he said.

The 56-year-old was greeted with a round of applause at the dealership. It is his first ride since his 1988 Honda broke down 10 years ago. Since then, he's rode buses and his legs to get to his job from Detroit to Rochester Hills.

"He almost started to cry, and I said 'James, you can't do that, you are going to make me cry too,'" David Fischer, Jr. of Suburban Ford told MyFoxDetroit.com.

The dealership gave Robertson a red 2015 Ford Taurus, which was exactly what he wanted. The car has a $35,000 sticker price.

"The reason I picked the Taurus, I remember the old Taurus from the 1980s," Robertson told the website. "They never were this fancy or anything, but like me they have a strong heart from the inside."

Because it has been awhile since Robertson had driven a car, a member from the dealership is going to give him a ride to work in his new car and show him the new technology.

True Crime