Roberto Mendoza is a famous chef in the city of Charlotte. Despite his success, he never forgot his roots and his poor childhood. He never forgot to use his fortune to help unfortunate people in need of a decent meal.
What do people do when they win the lottery? Certainly not everyone uses that money to buy a luxury car or a nice house. Chef Roberto Mendoza used his winnings to help the poor.
Never forget your roots and poor childhood
Roberto Mendoza is a famous chef in Charlotte, the largest city in the state of North Carolina, USA; he has cooked for a prince of Saudi Arabia, for presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama, and more recently for President Donald Trumph. He used to have his own restaurant, is an executive chef with a culinary expertise, and now works for Sysco Food Service. Despite his success, Mr. Mendoza never forgot his roots and his poor childhood. "When you're hungry, you can't say anything, only your stomach grumbles," he said. He never forgot to use his fortune to help unfortunate people in need of a decent meal. Every Saturday, he cooks for the homeless in Charlotte.
Poor childhood
Mendoza was born in El Salvador and had an impoverished childhood, during a time when the country was going through a brutal civil war. From 1980-1992, El Salvador had about 75,000 people dead or missing. Those who live with fever daily suffer from hunger and thirst. "I already know what it's like to be hungry," he told CNN. When I was 14 or 15 years old, I went to bed with an empty stomach. I told myself, at least I have to drink a glass of water. When I went to turn on the faucet, there was only air. They cut off the water. I went to bed crying, saying, "God, when I grow up, I don't want anyone to go hungry."
Fulfill a promise
A few years later, during the Civil War, young Mendoza was kidnapped, but thanks to the Salvation Army, a paramilitary organization of the Protestant Church, he escaped El Salvador and reached Canada, where he has continued to live. settled in California, and studied culinary arts. In the end, Mendoza was able to help others and decided to fulfill a promise many years ago. After starting his career in hotels and restaurants to gain experience, in 2014 Mr. Mendoza became a culinary expert, having his own restaurant in Charlotte called "Chef Heaven's Kitchen" to raise money and gifts. donated to a village in the Dominican Republic that he often visits.
Use lottery winnings to fulfill your dream of helping the poor
In 2012, during an event where he roasted 600 turkeys for the homeless in Charlotte, he heard a volunteer talk about poverty in this Dominican Republic town of Bayaguana. In 2013, after receiving a tax refund of $ 10,000, he bought a piece of land there. He wanted to open a canteen and build a church, as part of his dream to help the poor in that area. Now, with the winnings, he can fulfill his dream of feeding the poor in the town of Bayaguana, Dominican Republic.
Winning the lottery came as a complete surprise to Mr. Mendza. Once he was refueling his car at a gas station, when he bought a scratch-off lottery ticket. He scratched it and the lottery ticket had a prize of 250,000 dollars. According to CNN, after congratulating friends standing next to him, the first thing Mendoza thought of was the poor. “This is not my money,” he thought. For the past 5 years he has been feeding poor children in Charlotte and now he continues to do so in Bayaguana. In December, he brought toys, clothes and shoes to the children in this village and cooked for them. This is a very poor village, he said, where people sometimes have food and sometimes nothing to eat.
“God and I, we will work together”
In addition to the canteen in Bayaguana, he helps children in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras and Haiti. However, he was particularly interested in Bayaguana. The canteen will be used as a safe and clean place so that the poorest and the homeless, especially children, can have a place to eat. Although the winnings help him achieve his goals, he will need the help of others to get the job done. “God and I, we will work together,” he said.
Guided by profession and faith
Mendoza believes God made him a chef because he was horribly hungry while in El Salvador. His profession and faith have inspired him to help others, both in Charlotte and in other parts of the world. During Thanksgiving, Mr. Mendoza cooks for more than 6000 people and he also often participates in volunteer activities, provides food and shows concern for the homeless.