The Taqueria That Provided Free Food, Comfort After The Boston Marathon One Year Later

"We’re never going to forget what happened, but we remember what happened last year, and we keep going like it's a normal day."

By
Adrian Carrasquillo
by Adrian Carrasquillo

BuzzFeed News Reporter

There was despair and heartbreak after the Boston marathon bombing, but through it all, there were also simple moments of humanity.

Brian Snyder / Reuters

El Pelon Taqueria opened its doors and gave free food and a place for people to collect themselves a year ago.

El Pelon Taqueria
El Pelon Taqueria @ElPelonTaqueria

open wifi, place to charge cell, or just don't want to be alone, food and drinks,- pay only if you can #bostonhelp

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El Pelon Taqueria @ElPelonTaqueria

We have cold drinks, bathrooms, place to charge a phone and a calm place to sit #westandtogether

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Jose Torres, manager of the Fenway location, seen here with Boston Red Sox star Dustin Pedroia, talked to BuzzFeed about why the restaurant did what they did.

"It started last Sunday, people come and say thank you about what we did last year," Torres said. "We tried to help that day. We tried to do the best we could do."

"We’re never going to forget what happened, but we remember what happened last year, and we keep going like it's a normal day," he said.

Torres, who came from Mexico, and has lived in Boston for 10 years said he loves his restaurant. Management is trying to decide what it will do to mark the marathon next week.

The Fenway location went through it's own troubles, being hit by fires twice since 2007.

They persevered then and were there when a city needed them.

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