The mom of two girls captured using wifi outside of a Taco Bell in a viral photo revealed the family had recently been evicted.
The photo of Juana Valencia Garcia daughters first went viral around Aug. 28 as the girls spent time outside of a Taco Bell in Salinas, California working on schoolwork, according to an interview published Friday by 6abc.
Two students sit outside a Taco Bell to use Wi-Fi so they can ‘go to school’ online.
This is California, home to Silicon Valley…but where the digital divide is as deep as ever.
Where 40% of all Latinos don’t have internet access. This generation deserves better. pic.twitter.com/iJPXvcxsLQ
— Kevin de Leόn (@kdeleon) August 28, 2020
“The girls went there because they didn’t have internet,” Garcia told the outlet. “They wanted to study.”
The family has since received support since it became known they had been evicted. (RELATED: REPORT: Trump Admin Seeking To Prevent Evictions For Americans Making Under $99K)
“They helped me find a place to put all of my stuff, and now they helped me find a place to live, even if it’s just for a week,” Garcia told 6abc.
A GoFundMe was set up for the girls and donations reached $146,260 before it was disabled.
“We’re just trying to help,” immigrant advocate Flor Martinez told the outlet.
“When we met this mother, no one was helping her,” Martinez said. “Her daughters were already viral. It was a couple days in already. She was not receiving any help.”
The Salinas Elementary School District has also stepped in to offer food, clothing and other essentials to the family amid the eviction, 6abc reported.