Story highlights A customer set up a GoFundMe page for Fidencio Sanchez, 89, who pushes a popsicle cart

Thousands of people donated

Chicago (CNN) Fidencio Sanchez, 89, has been selling paletas, or popsicles, in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood for as long as almost anyone can remember.

He shuffles up and down the streets, pushing a freezer cart stocked with icy treats and ringing a bell to attract customers.

Sanchez always has a smile on his face. And his work ethic is unwavering. But his aging knees are not keeping up.

"I feel my body is starting to give up on me," he told CNN. "At some point, it's not going to have the capacity that it used to. But I don't want to stop working."

Soon he won't have to worry so much. A customer was so moved by the hard-working Sanchez that he bought 20 paletas for $50 and then created a GoFundMe page for him, seeking $3,000. On the page is a photo of the stooped Sanchez in a yellow Poncho Paletas cap, struggling to push his cart.

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