El Carnicero Owner Donates To Lakewood Students Going To D.C.

LAKEWOOD, OH — Eric Williams, the executive chef and owner of El Carnicero, heard on Facebook about a group of Lakewood High School students going to Washington, D.C. to take part in this weekend's March for Our Lives protest. After reading about the students' activism, Williams was inspired to help them out.

"I don’t think it has to do with if you’re a Democrat or Republican, for guns or against them. It’s most important to let these kids know there are adults that support them finding their voices," Williams told Patch.

While he was certain the students would need supplies for their trip, and he had the resources to step-in and help them out, he had a little trouble getting in contact with the students. Where others might have been deterred, Williams found his own activist spirit.

"If these kids weren't going to quit, neither was I," he said.

So he reached out to anyone he knew that might have a connection to the student activists (including editors at Patch). After a concerted effort over a couple of days, he made contact. The students were happy for the help.

On Friday morning, he dropped off four cases of chips and 330 bottles of Gatorade. "I’m a small business in the community where these kids and families reside. I have the resources to help them out," he said.

The students heading to Washington, D.C. are part of the newly formed Student Committee for Activism. They're heading to the nation's capital to join a throng of protesters advocating for stricter gun laws.

Similar to the Women's March, the event will have a flagship protest in Washington, D.C. and smaller protests in other states and cities, including Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. There are currently more than 600 March for Our Lives protests planned for March 24, according to the group's website.

"Unlike previous demonstrations, where it was ideal to show up in Cleveland, this particular event needs a large, united presence of students on the streets of the Capital," the group said on its GoFundMe page.

The students from Lakewood asked the community for help getting to-and-from the capital for the March. The city stepped up and donated to a GoFundMe, raising $6,866 on a $5,865 goal.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch