Tacos Mexico Donating 20 Percent of Profits to NCSD Students’ Negative Lunch Debt

Tacos Mexico is partnering with Susie Lucchi-Evenson of Indulgence Salon and Spa for her annual 'Hollidazzle Fundraiser.'

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The restaurant will be donating 20% of their profits on Wednesday to help pay off Natrona County School District students' negative lunch balances.

"This is my fourth year doing a Holidazzle fundraiser," Lucchi-Evenson told K2 Radio News. "Every year, I pick a charity or a cause where I feel there is a need, and this year my heart kind of just went to the negative school lunch balances."

Lucchi-Evenson said that she held a fundraiser at her salon on Saturday, which allowed various businesses to donate and contribute to this cause.

"We always get just a huge outpouring of businesses around Casper to donate raffle baskets," she stated. "So as of now, we've already hit $2,000. I know that Alex [Rosales] has a heart for our community too, so I reached out to him and asked him if he would partner with me on this, and he said yes. So I'm excited the word's going to get out, and hopefully this place will be super crowded!"

Rosales, the owner of Tacos Mexico, stated that from open to close on Wednesday, December 7, they will collect 20% of all sales and donate those proceeds to help pay off Natrona County School District students' negative lunch balance.

"It's gonna be all day, pretty much," Rosales said. "From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. And it's going to include to-go orders, and pretty much everything else across the board. Whatever we sell, we're gonna donate the 20% and hopefully we'll be able to do some more donating from a personal level."

This isn't the first time Rosales and his restaurant have tried to help serve the community. A few months ago, Rosales told a hungry family on Facebook that they could come to his restaurant and eat for free.

It's just the kind of person Rosales is, Lucchi-Evenson stated.

"I love this restaurant," she said. "It's my favorite Mexican restaurant in Casper and I've known Alex for many years and I just know his heart for the community, so I wanted to ask him and partner with him for this."

Lucchi-Evenson said she's been doing this fundraiser for the last four years and, each year, she learns something new.

"I've definitely learned some do's and don'ts over the years," she laughed. "But honestly, I feel like as a small business owner, any person that has a platform to be able to give back, should. I told myself when I opened my business, when I bought my salon, that I would use my platform for good. I feel like God has favored me in the way that I can give back to my community."

Lucchi-Evenson said that the first year, her fundraiser raised money for Mimi's House. The following year was for CASA (she's also a CASA advocate). Last year they partnered with the Wyoming Foundation for Cancer Care and raised over $2,000 and this year they "want to help the hungry kiddos."

And, she says, the kids really need some help.

In July of 2022, federal funding that offered students free breakfast and lunch at school was not renewed, leaving many students without those meals.

"I spoke with Desiree, the lady that funs the food services program for the Natrona County School District, and she told me that 23% of families were denied the free and reduced lunch program," Lucchi-Evenson stated. "To me, that's such a heartbreak. Because that means that 23% of families are not able to feed their children, or they can't count on school lunches to feed them. That was a heartbreaking percentage to hear. I just think that when we can put millions of dollars into these schools for gyms and pools and seating and sidewalks, our kids shouldn't go hungry."

Maybe, with the help of Lucchi-Evenson and Tacos Mexico, they won't. At least for a little while.

That's what Rosales hopes for, anyway.

"The minute she mentioned her idea, I didn't fully know all the details, but it's a pretty tragic situation with the kids that can't afford lunches," Rosales stated. "Like she was saying, we give priority to all the fun and games, but what's really important is feeding these kids. And as soon as she told me about it, I made myself completely available, because it's such a neat, compassionate idea. I can't take any credit for her idea, I just want to pitch in and do whatever I can to give back to the community."

Now, the community can give back as well. And all they have to do is stop by Tacos Mexico on Wednesday, December 7.

"We just want people to come support this great fundraiser," Rosales stated. "We appreciate all the support. I think we've been pretty successful in what we do, and this is just a little way to give back a little, to make things happen instead of waiting for somebody else to do it. I'm just honored that Susie asked me to help. She's a great person and she's been very successful in her business. And I'm completely honored to open up my business to this great cause."