BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A local McDonald's owner brought together community leaders and students at Prosperity Elementary School in southwest Bakersfield to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month through reading and cultural pride.
Trisha Gallo-Escobar, who owns and operates local McDonald's restaurants, hosted a Hispanic Influencers Reading Event at the school. She was joined by Bakersfield City Councilmember Andrae Gonzales and Ronald McDonald House Executive Director Scarlett Sabin, who all read to students and emphasized the importance of literacy and cultural identity.
"I've done work with them a lot here in town, being so close to one of my locations, actually two of my locations, but you know, a lot of this community sometimes they need a little bit more help, and we want to reach out and we'd love to give back, and this is one of our favorite schools that we work a lot with, and they're really great to work with as well," Gallo-Escobar said.
During the event, Gallo-Escobar presented the school with 100 signed copies of the children's book "Fuzzy Brown Finds a Home," written by local artist Sandy Rudnick. Rudnick attended the event and donated additional books to the Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House.
Following the reading event, a VIP reception was held at Gallo's White Lane McDonald's location, featuring food sampling and tours for school staff.
The event represents one of many ways local McDonald's owners continue giving back to the community, organizers said.
"We are super grateful. We're always looking for new ways to encourage our kiddos to do well. We have something called AR where they're able to read a book, take a test, and so when they're able to read extra books, as you know, it helps build their literacy, so we're super excited because academics is very important for us here at Prosperity," said Labrena Corker, student and family wellness coach at the school.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
