
Louisiana Restaurant’s ‘Wall of Hope’ Provides Free Meals to Those in Need
A wholesome trend has started to spread among restaurants in an effort to help feed people in need, and it turns out a Louisiana restaurant has been doing this for years.

Papi's Fajita Factory in the Baton Rouge area started what they call 'The Wall of Hope' four years ago when they first opened, which is essentially a wall of prepaid meal tickets.
Anyone who may need a hot meal can select a ticket from the wall, no questions asked, and the meal will be prepared free of charge, the owner Javier Ortiz tells WBRZ.
"Anybody who is in need, anybody who is hungry can come to this restaurant - no questions asked - and they have the opportunity to be fed by us."
Ortiz really goes above and beyond for his customers by matching every meal ticket. When someone pays it forward by purchasing a meal for 'The Wall of Hope, ' he duplicates it every time.
"The ticket includes a meal and a drink,” Ortiz explains, “If someone purchases a ticket for two meals, we will add two more meals from us, from the restaurant to the Wall of Hope."
Not only do people get a free meal, they also receive the full restaurant experience, "They're going to sit down. They're going to have full service: a server's going to take care of them, become friends with the server, and it's going to be something that by the time they leave, they're going to leave with a smile."
Originally from Honduras, Ortiz has seen poverty firsthand and has made it his mission to give back to the community here in Watson, Louisiana, with his restaurant despite negative feedback from other restaurant owners advising him against offering free meals.
"A lot of the time, we would not get the best feedback from other restaurant owners because they would see it as 'It's going to hurt your business.' I know that this is something that has nothing to do with business. This is something we just want to give and pour our hearts out to people who need it."
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Gallery Credit: Joe Cunningham
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