Rosario Del Real is 70 years old and has a body that no longer responds like it used to. An injury took away his trade as a carpenter, so he started pushing an ice cream cart through the east side of Chicago, even under the harshest sun, even on Father’s Day.
That Sunday, Oscar Gonzalez and Victor Dominguez saw him pass by in front of their family barbecue. Both had lost their fathers, and something in Rosario’s weathered skin and tired hands reminded them exactly of those they no longer had. They bought his entire stock so he could end his shift early.
What followed was a chain of events no one expected. A video on TikTok, a GoFundMe fundraiser, and more than $53,000 raised in a matter of days. Rosario, who arrived in the United States in 1969 from Zacatecas with the sole goal of eating once a day, repeated through tears: “I don’t deserve this”. Sometimes the body gets tired before the desire to work does.
@miklo_98 Buying all the paletas from the #PaletaMan so he can go home and relax on Father’s Day 🥺 #vivalaraza #MakeSomeoneSmile #essential ♬ Baraja de Oro – Chalino Sánchez