Giving Jesus the Tacos

This time it’s not about me. It’s all about Jesus. To be specific, Jesus Gauna Trejo, who lives in Cadereyta, Nuevo León, México and sells Tacos to support his his three kids (he’s a single Dad). He needs money to renovate his Taco stand, so I loaned him $75 through Kiva.org (he still needs $800 $675, so click on the picture above if you want to help).

Lest anyone think that this is some lame, self-centered attempt to “redeem” myself after giving Jesus the bird, I’ve actually been meaning to do this since before Christmas, when I asked my friends and relatives to give my Kiva.org gift certificates instead of Christmas presents this year. Thanks to all of you who did, today I finally had a chance to pass that Christmas spirit on to someone else who needed it more than I.

What took me so long was that I really, really wanted to benefit someone in Mexico — I have a fondness for Mexican culture inspired by my former high school students (most of whom were of Mexican heritage or citizenship). I also think that with the raging debate on illegal immigration, enough Americans are sending vibes of hatred toward Mexico that someone needs to send some love (or at least money?). Well, Kiva.org was doing so well around Christmas that all the loans to Mexican entrepreneurs had all been covered. I did look to see if there was anyone in a developing country needing money to start a bar or a brewery, but no such luck. So I waited.

I’ve already had some people ask me, “Why lend? Why not just donate?” It’s a good question, and to be honest, I’d have no problem just donating the money to Jesus for his taco store renovations, or even just to help take care of his kids. But if he is able to pay it back (and no, I don’t make any interest from this) then I can loan it right back out to someone else, again preferably in Mexico, and keep doing that as long as people keep repaying. In that way, not only am I helping others, but helping them to help each other. At least, that’s my understanding of things. It’s called micro-financing, and you can visit Kiva’s website to learn more.

Oh, and one more thing: My choice of beneficiaries had nothing to do with his name. It was all about the Tacos.