HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – Since opening five weeks ago, a new restaurant in Harrisonburg has donated 30,000 meals to hungry children around the world.

The Tacos 4 Life restaurant chain was founded in 2014 by Austin and Ashton Samuelson in Conway, Arkansas. The couple opened the business to feed hungry children around the world, and over the past decade they have been able to feed millions of children.

For every item sold, 24 cents will be donated to the nonprofit organization Feed My Starving Children. The proceeds will then be used to provide rice meal packages for the organization.

“We also have the ability to pack mobile packages,” said Jeremy Hunter, owner and operator of Harrisonburg Tacos 4 Life. “So if we donate enough rice meals, we can organize an event at a local arena or high school and get people to come by and pack those meals.”

Hunter said the restaurant has collected an average of 500 meals for the cause so far and has a goal of collecting 1,000 meals each day. The restaurant also sells merchandise and offers catering options to help fight childhood hunger.

“It’s great to be part of an organization whose mission is more important than money – just the mindset of ending hunger on a global scale and improving the lives of children,” Hunter said. “(It) just makes it easier to go to work every day.”

The entire chain has set a goal of collecting 10 million meals by its tenth anniversary in June 2025. So far, the company has collected just over 2 million. The Harrisonburg restaurant is located at 1645 East Market Street in the shopping center near Mr. J’s and Nothing Bundt Cakes.

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