Luis Navarro, the chef and CEO of his family’s own 14-year-old Lola’s Mexican Cuisine in Long Beach, was watching KTLA on Monday when he learned the children would arrive any day now.
In early April, the City of Long Beach agreed to partner with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to utilize the Long Beach Convention Center as a “temporary holding center” for up to 1,000 unaccompanied migrant children for a period of 90-120 days. And now the kids were coming.
Almost immediately, Navarro picked up the phone and reached out to the mayor’s office, hoping his family could do whatever possible to provide some small comfort to these children amid their scary, dangerous journeys and ongoing detention.
By Wednesday, Lola’s started spreading the word about its plans. The restaurant, which has two LBC locations, is creating an emergency fund to prepare or provide hot meals to the detained children, using 100% of the proceeds from its merchandise, donations, and gift card sales.
“I’m trying to put myself in the situation of a child who has just traveled 1,500-2,500 miles, who is here by themself, been in a camp, being processed for who knows how long,” Navarro tells L.A. TACO. “Why not greet them with a hot homemade meal? That’s what we’re working towards.”