Home » News » Raised over $ 100,000 for two girls who needed Taco Bell WiFi

Raised over $ 100,000 for two girls who needed Taco Bell WiFi

Two girls went to a Taco Bell restaurant in Salinas, California last week to connect to WiFi and do their homework. The image of the two minors sitting on the floor doing their homework went viral on social media, sparking an online fundraising campaign that already exceeds $ 119,000.

Kevin de León, president for the time of the California Senate, he also shared the photo on his social networks and recalled that 40% of Latinos do not have internet access. “This is California, home to Silicon Valley, but where the digital divide is as deep as ever,” León tweeted.

Near 17 million children do not have a good internet connection and one in three Latinos does not have internet at home, according to the newspaper The Washington Post.

It was Brenda Mendoza, the restaurant supervisor, who found the sisters using their computers and talking to their teacher sitting on the sidewalk outside the establishment.

“As a mother, it is very hard to see two girls doing their homework outside a fast food chain,” Mendoza lamented in statements to Noticias Telemundo.

The Salinas City Elementary School District reported that it has since provided wireless access points to the family and placed additional requests to address Internet accessibility.

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“The digital divide is very real and delays in receiving technology are a statewide concern. We are grateful that the state has made this a priority and we look forward to receiving these access points in our district, ”Amy Ish, chair of the district’s Board of Education, told NBC News.

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But before these measures become a reality, the neighbors set out to meet the needs of the two minors.

Jackie López located the girls’ mother, Juana, an immigrant worker who lives with her three girls in a small bedroom and they were to be evicted. On Sunday he launched a campaign on the online crowdfunding platform GoFundme to help them.

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“I asked him if I could get them a desk for his daughters and he told me that he had no space in his house”Lopez wrote on the GoFundMe page. This Tuesday morning the campaign had already raised more than $ 119,000 for the family.

“All children deserve a happy place to live and because of their dedication, these girls deserve a safe space to learn,” López wrote on the platform’s page.

A GoFundMe representative confirmed to NBC News that the campaign was verified and that the platform was working to ensure funds reach Juana.

With information from The Washington Post and NBC News.

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