MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Old El Paso and the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) are expanding their partnership to open the first-ever restaurant featuring meals from Old El Paso, The Taco Shop by Old El Paso. In addition to serving meals, the fast casual dining establishment provides needed space for family-led programming and hands-on job training for family members in the I PROMISE program. The Taco Shop by Old El Paso is located inside House Three Thirty, LJFF’s multi-use facility offering resources designed to change the trajectory for I PROMISE families and serve the entire Akron, Ohio community.
At the Taco Shop by Old El Paso, visitors can expect quick meal options, including LJFF’s favorite taco recipe, the Chili Lime Grilled Skirt Steak Taco, which is inspired by taco dishes created in the James household. In addition burritos, quesadillas and even desserts like flan, churros and sopapillas can be found on the menu, many of which are created using Old El Paso ingredients. As part of House Three Thirty’s unique community model, the restaurant will employ students and adults from LJFF’s I PROMISE Program looking to gain valuable hands-on work experience while serving the community in the Foundation’s We Are Family way.
“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with LJFF and the House Three Thirty community, because we know that meaningful connections are created while enjoying good food together,” said Maria Jaramillo, General Mills Business Unit Director for Old El Paso. “Our hope is that the opening of the first-ever Taco Shop by Old El Paso restaurant will foster a new Taco Tuesday tradition among I PROMISE families and become something that they can look forward to with family and friends.”
The Taco Shop by Old El Paso will host I PROMISE families on 2.22.22 for an intimate gathering to celebrate the ultimate Taco 2.22.22uesday. The restaurant will formally open next year.
“Opening our own restaurant is a whole new territory for my Foundation that I’m really excited about,” said LeBron James. “What started as a weekly taco night for families living in our I PROMISE Village has grown into so much more with The Taco Shop by Old El Paso. It’s incredible to now have a space where families can come together and share a meal while students and families also have the opportunity to gain important job training. We can’t wait for these doors to open to the community.”
Starting on Taco 2.22.22uesday, Old El Paso is also giving fans nationwide a chance to host a James family-inspired taco night with nine hundred taco kits, featuring taco party favors, an LJFF jersey apron, portable speaker, Old El Paso products and more. Fans can go to oldelpaso.com/taco-shop-sweepstakes to enter for a chance to get a taco kit starting today through February 28.
Old El Paso and the LJFF have a long-standing partnership committed to bringing families together for taco night. LJFF first teamed up with Old El Paso to donate Taco Tuesday meal kits to families from the I PROMISE School and others in need at the start of the pandemic. The partnership expanded as Old El Paso became the official sponsor of I PROMISE Village Taco meals, donating meals for weekly community dinners, Taco Tuesday events, and I PROMISE School monthly family feasts. Now the tradition of Taco Tuesday among I PROMISE families has become even more meaningful with the opening of The Taco Shop by Old El Paso.
For more information on Old El Paso, visit www.oldelpaso.com or visit Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About General Mills
General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to drive shareholder value by boldly building its brands, relentlessly innovating, unleashing its scale and being a force for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names such as Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills generated fiscal 2021 net sales of U.S. $18.1 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1.1 billion.
About LeBron James Family Foundation
With a commitment to redefining community and building stronger families, The LeBron James Family Foundation invests its time, resources and passion into creating generational change for kids and families through a focus on education and co-curricular educational initiatives. With its foundational I PROMISE Program, LJFF serves more than 1,600 students and their entire families by providing them with the fundamental resources, wraparound supports and family programming they need for success in school and beyond. In 2018, the Foundation built all of its family-first programming and academic interventions into the groundbreaking I PROMISE School that has created a new model for urban, public education. The Foundation has layered in additional resources including higher education and family supports at the I PROMISE Institute, transitional housing at the I PROMISE Village, long-term affordable housing at the upcoming I PROMISE Housing, job training and financial health programming at House Three Thirty, and several hands-on supports in between. These life-changing resources, combined with the Foundation’s “We Are Family” philosophy, are re-defining what a family and community looks like.
To learn more about our story, visit https://www.lebronjamesfamilyfoundation.org.
