Wepa Café is located on East 35th Street in Garden City. The restaurant is raising funds for victims of Tropical Storm Fiona on Saturday with food, a dance and raffles.
Wepa Café is located on East 35th Street in Garden City. The restaurant is raising funds for victims of Tropical Storm Fiona on Saturday with food, a dance and raffles.
Wepa Café is a family owned Puerto Rican restaurant, a home away from home for the Robinson family.
“I opened up a Puerto Rican restaurant and bring the Puerto Rican cultural and taste to the Treasure Valley,” said Art Robinson, Wepa Café’s owner.
Robinson said the restaurant means more than just a taste of home. The restaurant donates a portion of its proceeds to nonprofits working directly with those affected by natural disasters.
Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017. Five years later, many of those on the island haven’t fully recovered. Now, with Hurricane Fiona, Puerto Ricans are reeling from another devastating storm.
When Fiona churned across the Caribbean, it brought historic flooding and power outages.
“It impacted the other side of Puerto Rico, especially along the southern coast,” National Weather Service San Juan Meteorologist Ernesto Morales said. “The eye wall was moving across the southern side. So, they felt the stronger winds in that region.”
Many businesses and organizations all over the country are helping. Wepa Café has partnered with ProTechos, a nonprofit in Puerto Rico. This Saturday, Wepa Café is hosting a fundraiser with food, a dance and raffles as they prepare to give their annual donation to ProTechos.
“This was set up long before Fiona hit, but now it has an even greater meaning, so we can get them those funds as soon as possible,” Robinson said.
“They focus on the undeserved, the elderly, the young, low-income, helping them build roofs,” Robinson said of ProTechos.
Wepa Café is located on East 35th Street in Garden City between Chinden Boulevard and the Boise River Greenbelt.
