kindness
Waitress Has Fed 270,000 Meals to Homeless Floridians
A Barbadian waitress in Fort Lauderdale started with 40 spaghetti meals and, with her family, has now served over 270,000 to the homeless.
A Florida waitress has served more than 270,000 meals to the homeless, alongside her husband and two vibrant sons who all exemplify their Christian faith.
An immigrant from Barbados, Gloria Vargas, has run the operation since in 2012 largely from her home in Fort Lauderdale.
“I started with buying a little bit of spaghetti and ground beef, and I started with 40 meals,” said the 62-year-old woman. “The next week it went to 60 meals, 80 meals. Before you know it, I was at 200 meals every weekend.”
On a waitress’s salary, using all her resources, Gloria now purchases “huge amounts” of chicken, fish, fresh produce, rice, bread, and bottled water—enough to nourish 175 to 200 people.
Her sons write “God loves you” or an encouraging scripture on each meal’s Styrofoam lid, and minister to the downtrodden by listening to their stories.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when other organizations were shutting down, Vargas expanded her operation to serve up to 600 meals—feeding communities in both Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
“When it’s cold, when it’s windy, when it’s raining, it doesn’t matter. We have to show up,” Vargas said in an earlier media interview.
Then, thanks to a generous seed grant from the Byers Foundation, she set up a nonprofit, Care in Action USA.
Now a daily operation, Vargas prepares approximately 120 breakfasts and 125 dinners, which are distributed to waiting crowds in under 40 minutes.
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She says the scope of Care in Action USA extends well beyond meal preparation, too.
The family assists people with rent, utility payments, hotel rooms, bus passes, and new clothes.