The pandemic has hit business owners particularly hard. From large layoffs to complete shutdowns, entrepreneurs have struggled as the world continues to endure the hard-hitting effects of the coronavirus.
One owner that has been hit particularly hard is Juan, the owner of JJN Corp Deli and Grocery in New York. In addition to experiencing the economic downturn of the pandemic, he also lost his father to the virus. As the year surges forward, he is scrambling to prepare for 2021 alone with only the help of his son, Jefferson.
If there is one duo in entertainment that understands the plight of a bodega owner in the Bronx, it’s New York’s own Desus Nice and The Kid Mero. Popularly known as the Bodega Boys, the two have always shown love to their home borough. Continuing to show appreciation for their home borough, the duo teamed up with Pepsi to surprise Juan with a check worth one year’s rent for the bodega.
“When we gave the check to Juan to pay his rent for a year, you can see in his eyes he was just overcome with emotion and so were we,” Desus Nice said.
“The neighborhood needs a bodega, that’s where they get everything, so they reopened.”
Adding on, the two late-night talk show hosts surprised customers in all five boroughs with $100 prepaid gift cards for the holidays. Joining Desus and Mero, Pepsi will also continue to shower bodega owners with gifts across the five boroughs.
Desus & Mero is set to return for a third season on Showtime in January.
