Chicago is well known as ‘the Windy City’ for very good reason. In winter, Lake Michigan causing the wind to be cold and strong and pedestrians make it their mission to get out of the cold as soon as necessary. Unfortunately, some people, like street vendors, must stay outside for their careers. One Chicago restauranteur by the name of Robert Magiet spotted a freezing tamale vendor waiting for customers in the icy January weather. In an act of kindness, he bought the whole stock.
Magiet bought out her entire day’s supply, which totaled to be close to 124 tamales. He also gave the seller a big tip, and let her call out of work early for the day. After she’d left for an early night in, Magiet took the large quantities of tamales he bought and gave them out to some of Chi-Town's homeless population.
"I went to Yolanda near Humboldt Park and bought her out so she could go home today," he posted on Facebook, "I’d love to do the same for other Vendors and distribute the Tamales to our Neighbors experiencing homelessness. Let me know of any leads please."
In the days following, he bought up the tamales vendors in 3 other locations to continue his double act of kindness. Having seen the impact the pandemic had on the people around him, he knew it must have been even more difficult for the rest of the world.
"It’s like, I have a restaurant. I have food. I know people who have restaurants and food. Let’s help people who need food," he said. He plans to continue his run of donating tamales for the rest of the winter. However, he might switch it up with pizzas every now and again.