Helping One Vendor at a Time: How Alex Romero Is Building Community Care for Street Vendors in NELA
Alex Romero stands in front of a fruit cart in Northeast Los Angeles, supporting local street vendors.
Across Northeast Los Angeles, street vendors shape the rhythm of everyday life—feeding families, preserving culture, and building livelihoods through resilience and resourcefulness. But when fear enters the streets, visibility becomes a risk.
“Helping 1 Vendor at a Time,” led by Alex Romero, emerged in response to that reality. What began as a single act of support has grown into a community-led effort rooted in trust, care, and collective action.
Where It Began
In NELA, Alex Romero works directly with street vendors—building trust, community, and connection.
Growing up, Alex Romero and her sister spent summers in Chula Vista with their grandmother—a widow who supported herself by selling burritos at the local church. It wasn’t framed as entrepreneurship. It was survival.
That experience stayed with her.
Street vendors, Alex explains, are part of the cultural and economic fabric of their communities—often operating without safety nets, yet essential to the neighborhoods they serve. Today, that fabric is under strain.
when Everything Shifted
In early July 2025, ICE raids swept through South Central Los Angeles, where Alex works. The shift was immediate.
The streets fell silent—no foot traffic, no cars, no sense of normalcy.
In that stillness, she noticed a paletero. Acting on instinct, Alex handed him all the cash she had. He tried to give her his entire inventory in return, but she refused. She told him to go home. To stay safe.
Over Fourth of July weekend, sitting in traffic, she felt a deep responsibility to her community and kept coming back to one question: how can she give back?
That question led to her first NELA partnership. Through a Highland Park connection, she was introduced to Armando—a neighborhood vendor who pedals a tricycle selling raspados and esquites, while his wife vends nearby. One Sunday, after a quick tutorial at his home, Alex’s partner rode the trike and they set up at Ave 52 and Figueroa.
Thanks to an outpouring of support from friends and the community, she raised over $3,000, enough to cover Armando's rent and bills for two months.
A local street vendor hands a fresh piece of fruit to a customer at a fruit cart in Northeast Los Angeles.
What “Helping 1 Vendor at a Time” Looks Like
From that moment forward, Alex’s approach has been simple but intentional: support one vendor at a time in ways that are direct, transparent, and rooted in trust. She meets people face-to-face—listening to their stories, building relationships, and gathering insight before adding anyone to a waitlist.
Her priority is clear: support those most often overlooked, particularly senior citizens who are not on social media and unable to accept digital payments. These are the individuals most excluded from online fundraising and often in the most precarious positions.
Transparency is built into every step of the process. Buyouts and donations are never handled alone—another community member is always present to ensure accountability. More recently, Alex transitioned efforts to GoFundMe, creating a more open and accessible way for supporters to track how funds are raised and distributed.
Partnerships also play a critical role. Local nonprofits and small businesses offer vendor spaces at their events, recognizing both the urgency and the care required to support this work. These collaborations create environments where vendors can operate safely—without fear of enforcement or the pressure of competing for visibility.
Alex Romero and a local fruit vendor in Northeast Los Angeles, highlighting community support for street vendors.
For Alex, these moments reinforce the purpose behind the work: creating opportunities where vendors are not only able to earn, but to do so with dignity, safety, and collective support.
There’s a deep sense of fulfillment in seeing vendors leave with enough to cover rent, buy groceries, and breathe—even if only for a moment. As Alex Romero puts it, “Street vendors are the tapestry of our communities.”
But beyond financial relief, this work is about dignity and creating spaces where street vendors are not operating in fear, but are supported, protected, and valued for the role they play in our communities.
How to Support
Interested in getting involved? Follow Helping 1 Vendor At A Time on Instagram or Facebook. - DM’s are open.
There are also simple, meaningful ways to show up for your community:
Contribute to community fundraisers
Attend local events and show up
Support street vendors directly whenever you can
