Winter is always the hardest time for homeless people everywhere. Faced with frigid temperatures, especially at night, they may have nowhere to sleep, and even worse, nothing with which to buffer themselves from the cold.
That’s why one Dallas, Texas taco shop owner decided to step in and help out. Emilia Flores, who owns the Taco Stop, is now in her second year of offering coats to the homeless in a way that helps them maintain their dignity.
“They just come and pick what they need and leave,” Flores said of the racks of coats she sets right outside of her shop. She says she came up with the idea after a trip to Mexico, where she saw it being done and wanted to replicate the experience back home.
Beyond helping those in need, Flores feels this is a way for everyday people to feel empowered, to believe they can do something impactful for another human being.
“The world is so polarized . . . it’s just another reminder that it takes very little to make life easier for people,” she says.
And she doesn’t care if you’re actually without shelter, or simply cannot afford a new coat. Flores says anyone who needs one, is welcome to help themselves to outerwear from her coat rack.
Has she ever been ripped off? Flores admits that, yes, her coats were stolen multiple times last year, but she remains undaunted. She says she will simply keep on replacing them if that happens again.
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