UVALDE, Texas — In a time like this, with news of so many dead in Uvalde, Texas, many ask what they can do to help.
People from all over the country are calling restaurants in the small town, offering to pay for meals for victims’ families and law enforcement.
Rosemary Flores, the owner of the Sunrise Restaurant, is dedicating their time toward collecting donations and donating food to law enforcement, the victims’ families, and others in need.
“It hurt me a lot when we heard the news yesterday,” Flores said. “It really hurt me a lot. It’s just very painful. I have friends who have children at school. My family has children. It’s just very painful to find out some of our family is gone, but they are up in heaven.”
On Wednesday, Flores and her son A.J. ran the restaurant but received phone calls non-stop asking to donate money or food to those who needed it most.
“I have a friend whose little sister passed,” A.J. said. “And my aunt’s cousin’s kid also passed. I’m still in shock. It hasn’t hit yet.”
Flores started her donation by delivering 20 meals to Customs and Border Patrol agents and plans to donate to police later in the afternoon. She also plans to donate food to the families at Hillcrest Funeral Home.
Again, throughout the morning, the phone never stopped ringing.
“I’m a very loving and giving person,” Flores said. “The communities need to be together and have sympathy for everyone. I like to help people, and we need to help each other. People are calling from Idaho, Ohio, Wisconsin, and even Canada. I don’t know how they got my number, but it’s okay.”
All this work, she said, is so important because this is how the small town stays strong together.
“For the most part, the whole town is like family,” A.J. said. “Everyone knows each other at some point. Everyone has a connection to someone. It doesn’t take a lot, and it doesn’t take money to fix everything. Food can only do so much but being there and being someone nice as a kind spirit does a lot.”
Flores said she would continue to do this for love and unity and keep Uvalde strong.
If you want to donate, you can contact Sunrise Restaurant at 830-278-6100.
