Mothers Open Meat Market to Fund Scholarships

With mariachi trumpets blaring, the Mothers of East Los Angeles celebrated the opening of their new nonprofit meat market Wednesday, heralding it as a novel approach to raising money for scholarships.

Proceeds from La Nueva Luna Meat Market will be used to fund parochial school and college scholarships for local children. Eventually, its directors hope to raise $20,000 a year through the store.

“This is a success story, a dream come true for families,” said Mary Lou Trevis, president of the group. “This means great opportunities for the youth.”

The meat market, a fixture on Lorena Street since the 1950s, was donated to the community group by its former owners, who wanted to retire. The group decided to reopen it and direct all the profits back into the community.

The seven-month renovation of the shop was financed by about $90,000 in donations, said Frank Villalobos, president of Barrio Planners, who serves on the market’s board. A longtime neighborhood butcher will train local high school students to work in the meat market, preparing them for jobs in the field.

On Wednesday, local officials and residents gathered to toast the opening of the store, inspecting the gleaming glass cases and the photo montage of the Mothers along the wall. The market, which is still waiting a health inspection, should be open for business Oct. 13.

“I’m going to tell everyone I know to come here to buy their meat,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

Monsignor John Moretta of Resurrection Church, who came up with the idea for the market, said he hopes it will encourage other businesses to give back.

“We have too many large corporations who take a lot of money out of the community but do not fund local projects,” he said.