Smith: Hot Dog Day at Punto Zero

The just-boiled hot dogs are still steaming as Trinidad “Trini” Garcia douses them with mustard, relish and pinto beans. Everyone will also get one plus a soda, chips and some cake. This is a feast for the patients here at Punto Zero on the west edge of Juárez, Mexico

Punto Zero is a facility for the mentally ill that was started by Beto and Lupe in 2018 but Beto died in 2021 and now this quiet, determined woman, Lupe ( María Guadalupe Ayala) provides care for some 30 mental patients, all of whom would probably be living in the cruel streets of Juárez without her. She survives without government support and, until very recently, without a way to raise money via donations. Her patients are mostly long term; many are older and very unlikely to recover and be able to return to society.

We first visited in March 2018 and were shocked by the conditions. Then in December, 2021 we happened to be driving along the highway that leads to the center of Juárez when we heard someone calling my name. It was Beto next to us in a battered pickup truck with several mattresses tied loosely in the rear. We followed him to Punto Zero, saw the improvements that had been made and have been supporters ever since, bringing beans, rice, clothing and some cash almost every month.

Support is also provided by a Colorado non-profit, Missions Ministries which has a powerful presence in this area of Juárez, building houses, running a medical clinic and two libraries. In the case of Punto Zero, Missions Ministries build a dining area as well as a large bathroom and bathing facility and is now completing a dormitory for the women.

Now the Morenos are involved. Art Moreno Sr. from La Mesa, New Mexico was the founder of Art’s Photographic, a camera store with several locations in El Paso and ran it for 34 years. He has also been a volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul Thrift stores, the Kairos Prison Ministry and Acts Retreat. He was ill on this hot dog day and couldn’t attend.

Art Jr. is an architectural and portrait photographer and Texas real estate broker, living in El Paso and a former volunteer with the Texas Youth Commission and California Youth Authority. He is the curator of the “Mentes Hermosas” photo exhibit which documents the mental asylum, Vision in Action, also in Juárez.

Trinidad “Trini” Garcia worked for the Moreno family for many years and now has a business selling second-hand clothing in Juárez. She is the one who buys the hot dogs, chips and sodas for these hot dog day feasts and is in charge of the preparing of the meal.

This dynamic trio had several hot dog days at Vision in Action and I saw the pleasure on the faces of the patients as they gobbled down their meals. It’s the break from the regular meals which can be monotonous and heavy on beans and rice. Moreso, it’s the excitement of having outside visitors come and show their support and affection.

The same will be true here.

The Morenos are also preparing a website for Punto Zero. This will enable Lupe to receive much needed donations. There is virtually no government support for mental health issues here in Juárez. These programs depend on the extraordinary commitment and perseverance of individuals like Lupe at Punto Zero and Pastor José Antonio Galván at Vison in Action. In Galván’s case, he has maintained Vision in Action for 30 years.

Now I watch the patients devour the hot dogs and chips. There’s the handsome, silent Oriol, always smiling. There’s Alicia who calls me “Mi amor.” I first saw her on an August day when it was 109 degrees. Seemingly immune to the heat, she was wearing three layers of clothing and a wool hat strapped to her head. There is Marilou, one of the younger patients, always laughing. Roberto who has lost a leg and was once a watch salesman in Juárez asks about my wife, Sherry who couldn’t attend. Auriol thumbs through a tattered Bible.

Then there is a pinata and everyone takes wild swings at it until it’s shredded to pieces and the candies come tumbling out.

How do you measure the value of a day like this? What is a hot dog worth? The Morenos are from Texas which spends hundreds of millions a year on mental health problems but here in Juárez, it’s still a forgotten priority.

Mexico is consumed by this up and down tariff war with the US as well as the ongoing struggle with the cartels. Someday, however, health will have to become a major priority. When will that be? When will there be more than hot dogs and affection for those who are suffering?

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Morgan Smith, who travels to the border at least once a month to document conditions there and assist programs like Punto Zero. He can be reached at Morgan-smith@comcast.net.

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