Alta Baja Market, a popular Mexican-themed restaurant in Santa Ana, California, announced 100 percent of its proceeds this weekend for a certain popular Mexican cocktail will go toward aid for victims of earthquake-stricken Turkey and Syria.
From Feb. 10 through the end of the business day on Feb. 12, any customer who purchases a Michelada—which can be made with or without alcohol—will help support those in need overseas.
The proceeds will be sent to Catholic Relief Services—the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community—which will help distribute the donations, restaurant owner Delilah Snell told The Epoch Times.
“The area that’s been affected, I was there 21 years ago. I visited a lot of those areas. I just needed to do something,” she said.
Snell also said she finished a backpacking trip across half of Turkey two weeks ago.
Southern Turkey was hit with back-to-back earthquakes Feb. 6, killing more than 20,000 people and injuring over 66,000 thus far, officials said. Numbers are expected to rise as more bodies are recovered from the rubble.
The quakes were of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitudes. The only other country to suffer comparable damage was Syria, which borders Turkey. More than 3,100 died and around 5,000 injured in northern Syria, according to Syrian sources.
Since then, local governments and businesses have been providing aid and resources to help the victims. Snell said her business is also hosting a drop-off site for Bakkal, a grocery delivery company that is bringing donations to the Turkish consulate in Los Angeles.
Residents are encouraged to drop off goods such as clothes, shoes, sleeping bags, tents, socks, pocket warmers, diapers, or even unopened over-the-counter medication.
“This is the least I can do,” she said.
Snell also won first place in 2021 for the Independent Mexican Restaurant Owner of the Year, hosted by soda brand Jarritos and el Restaurante, a popular trade magazine for the Latino restaurant industry.
Alta Baja Market located at 201 E 4th Street in Santa Ana was first opened in 2016 and is both a restaurant and retail market, celebrating the food and culture of Mexico, according to the magazine’s review.
