QUEENS — It can be non-stop action for Maggie Morales when it gets busy at her food truck parked on 23rd Avenue near 87th Street in East Elmhurst. 

Morales, who came to America from Ecuador in 1991, is on her own running the truck, called Mike’s Express. Her husband Jorge died in April of last year from COVID-19, leaving the mother of three to run the business alone.

What You Need To Know

  • Artist Magda Love painted the Mike's Express Food Truck, owned by Maggie Morales

  • Morales lost her husband Jorge to COVID-19 in April 2020 and is now running the East Elmhurst-based truck alone

  • Beverage Company Diageo and the Street Vendor Project partnered to give Morales' truck a new look and gave financial help as well so she could purchase a generator for the truck
  • Street vendors have been hit hard by the pandemic, losing business and many come from areas deeply impacted by COVID-19

"You know, the people are really, really nice from my community helping me, to give me some help, that's the way we survived those months,” said Morales. She has persevered, and with the help of well-known artist and native of Argentina Magda Love, her truck has a brand new look.

"I was instantly inspired by Maggie's story and just like the resiliency and the push that she puts in everything that she does every day,” said Love.  

Love spoke with Maggie about the things she loves when deciding how to paint the truck and flowers are a big part of it. The makeover is thanks to Beverage Company, Diageo and their brand Johnny Walker and the Street Vendor Project, which lends support to street vendors in the five boroughs who have struggled through the pandemic. 

"We identified Maggie as someone who gives back to the community, she has gone through so much this past year throughout the pandemic, but she has continued to provide for her community,” said Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez, deputy director at the Street Vendor Project.

Morales will also receive financial help so she can purchase a generator for the truck. 

She was selected by the Street Vendor Project, a membership-based organization of more than 2,000 street vendors in town, which provides a variety of services to help empower those who sell food and merchandise on the sidewalks of the city.

Morales is thrilled for the help. She puts in long hours, working at least 12 hours a day to keep her truck open from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., five days a week. Despite everything that's happened over the past year and a half, she's moving forward. 

"You know, my support was my husband next to me every single day, we would do everything together,” said Morales, who added that, day by day, she is trying to her best all the time.

“It's a little bit hard but I can do it, I can do it,” said Morales.