Rebuild Pepe Chile's & Vicky's Thai food cart

Proposed GoFundMe Campaign Title: Rebuild Pepe Chile's & Vicky's Thai

My name is Julio Mendosa, and I'm the owner of Pepe Chile's Taqueria.

On Sunday night, I was working alone in my cart, because my other cook moved to Gresham and my helper didn't show up. My dog Pepito was tired; it was super hot, so I took him for a walk. After about fifteen minutes, we were walking back, and Vicki, the lady who runs the Thai food cart, called me and said "Fire fire fire!" We ran, but the fire was super fast. I took my computer and my speaker out,

Everything, 15-18 years of work was gone in a few seconds. I worked as a general contractor, but I quit working as a contractor because I love food and cooking. I don't have as much money as before but I love what I do. I love to meet people in the neighborhood. I don't like to be alone, so I am always happy with other people around me. That's why I love my food cart, it's the center of my life.

There's a lot of history. I met a neighbor yesterday night, they said their first date was at my food cart. Another neighbor bought a house a block from my cart. The first meal he had with his wife after moving from New York was at my food cart. Everyone's really attached to the food and the building.

In spite of everything, I feel good, because I feel loved. My heart is full of love. All the neighbors are calling in support. I wish I can rebuild it as before.

Thank you for listening, and for your support, whatever it is! Words matter, words are strong, so if you don't have anything to give us, don't worry about it. Just send a message and we'll be super happy with that.