Virginia man raises over $88k to buy Goya Foods products for local food pantries, slams 'cancel culture'
A Virginia man has raised more than $88,000 to buy Goya Foods products and donate them to local food pantries after the company's CEO faced backlash over pro-Trump comments.
"People are seeing in the news a double standard for one political view," Casey Harper of Arlington told Fox Business. "Americans are fundamentally generous people… I'm not surprised we have raised so much because people are tired of having to walk on eggshells in political discourse."
The 27-year-old launched a GoFundMe page Saturday afternoon and had already raised more than $88,702 as of Monday morning, blowing past its original $10,000 goal. Shortly after CEO Robert Unanue praised the president at a White House event last week, notable personalities including Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and chef Jose Andres called for a Goya Foods boycott.
According to Harper, many of the GoFundMe donors said they appreciated his message to "say no to cancel culture." "In a time where speaking your mind can cost you your job, or get you facing legal action because the corporate elite fears the mob just as much as anyone, the most important issue is to speak boldly at the risk of your own well-being," Harper said. "If enough people do that, lovers of free speech and limited government will win."
Harper wants to reach out to Goya and purchase some products directly from the company, especially since the fundraiser has gained so much traction. "We're at the point where it's going to be tens of thousands of cans," he said. "I'd like to support local grocery stores at least in part, but I don't know if we’ll be able to do that with all the money."
Goya Foods, arguably the largest Hispanic-owned food label in the country, touted its charitable donations and grants in response to calls for a boycott. The company revealed it had given "two million pounds of food to food banks across the nation who are in desperate need of food for families impacted by COVID19."
Doubling down on his beliefs, Unanue said on July 10 the boycott was "a reflection of a division that exists today in our country" that is "killing our nation."
“We're with the president. We're with this country — right, left, center, up and down," he told "Varney & Co."
The megabrand came under fire after the CEO of the Hispanic food giant praised Donald Trump during his White House speech. On witnessing Robert Unanue support the president, disappointed internet users took to Twitter to blast him for calling Trump “an incredible builder”.
In the video from the White House that’s enraged people, Unanue states, “We are all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder and that’s what my grandfather did. He came to this country to build, to grow, and to prosper. We have an incredible builder and we pray for our leadership, our President, and we pray for our country that we’ll continue to prosper and to grow.”