Lola

This is the heart of what we do. 🙏🏾🙏🏾 If you’ve volunteered with #ChefsForPuertoRico over the past six months, chances are you know Lola. She drives an hour to pick up hot food from our kitchen every day to continue to serve those most in need across a few municipalities outside of San Juan. This walking angel goes door by door, house by house, street by street — always reassessing the changing recovery landscape to ensure those who need a fresh, hearty meal still get one. We often send volunteers to join on her routes, where the community leader graciously shows them how she plates up food from the back of her car (or my pickup, as the case may be!) and delivers it with heart, compassion and dignity. Lola won’t accept anything for her tireless efforts and huge investment of time, energy and resources, other than our eternal respect and endless gratitude — though even well-deserved praise makes this humble soul uncomfortable. She simply wants to do the work, to show up, to serve. This hero of a woman has directly impacted tens of thousands of people and bettered lives in specific, lasting, meaningful ways — mine at the top of that list! Gracias, Lola.