Kerry Campbell GoFundMe for James Denison deleted after raising over $25,000 for fired Meijer employee

A GoFundMe initiative created to aid a former Meijer employee with autism has been taken down after collecting more than $25,000 for its cause.

The campaign funded by Kerry Campbell was started to help James Denison, 19, who was arrested last year for allegedly stealing food from the deli section at a Meijer in Seven Hills, Ohio.

Denison is reportedly a special needs person and an employee of Meijer, who was once accused by the store manager of eating chicken and fruit cups without paying for them.

BREAKING - Americans are calling for a boycott of the retailer Meijer after bodycam footage revealed the $15 billion corporation had a 16-year-old disabled deli worker named James arrested for taking just $110 in food over three months to get through his shifts‼️ pic.twitter.com/gycHLMFYrI

— Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D.,M.Sc.,DPT. (@drhossamsamy65) August 20, 2025

The alleged theft was reported to be around $110 in three months. Body camera footage of the incident in March 2024 was released in early 2025 and is now being circulated online showing police engaging with Denison in the manager's office and then arresting him and putting him in handcuffs.

The video incited outrage on social media, with many users criticizing the supermarket chain for involving the police over what was considered a small amount and for taking action against a disabled teen.

According to New York Post, the hashtag #BoycottMeijer started to trend on X, with thousands of users posting clips from the bodycam video and expressing support for Denison.

A look into the GoFundMe campaign which was established to aid James Denison

In light of the backlash, Florida registered nurse Kerry Campbell had launched a GoFundMe to help Denison with his legal fees, living expenses, food, and transportation.

The campaign quickly gained traction and raised over $25,000. The campaign stated that Denison did not own a car, and walked to work daily. Campbell stressed Denison was upset by the arrest.

"James is a special needs teenager that was arrested by seven hills police department for eating food items at his work place that were unpaid, Fruit cups to be exact. James walks to and from work and tries his best to make a life for himself, given his complications... If you have not seen the body cam footage, please check it out. As a nurse, this disgusts me," the campaign bio read.

Although, as of this week, the fundraising page seemingly has been pulled down from GoFundMe. There is no word on whether Campbell, the platform itself, or for some other reason took the page down.

We have contacted Kerry Campbell, the successful organizer of the gofundme campaign, so we can donate supply to James.#Justice4James pic.twitter.com/6Pd1bCFCsq

— ♡ Lian ♡ (@eepynovocaine) August 20, 2025

As of now, neither Campbell nor GoFundMe has produced a public announcement as to why the page was taken down after reaching the original goal of $26,000. On the other hand, Meijer responded to the backlash.

"We take this very seriously and recognize that the situation should have been handled differently. Earlier this year, we implemented a new procedure to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We’ve learned a great deal of experience," they wrote on Facebook.

At the time of writing this, there have been no further official updates regarding Denison's legal case, or whether any further action will be taken regarding support for Denison due to the fundraiser's sudden withdrawal.