Child's wish to Santa comes true with the help of Me-N-Ed's and ABC30

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A dream is now coming true for 7-year-old Joaquin and his mother, Gloria Moreno.

Last December, he wrote a letter to Santa as part of Me-n-Ed's Santa Mailbox program.

He wrote that his grandma went to heaven, and he wants to take his mom to Disneyland to make her happy.

"You try to be strong as parents and not cry in front of them, but they do realize, and I had forgotten about that until he reminded me," said Gloria Moreno, Joaquin's mother.

Gloria even wrote a letter back to Me-and-Ed's and thanked the business for giving her son the opportunity to express himself.

She also donated money to help grant other children's wishes.

"I got to see my son's feelings again, thank you. This is not much, but I hope this came by a child and believe like my son," said Moreno, as she recited her letter.

After reading the letters, the pizza company contacted ABC30, and our employees donated four tickets to make the Disney trip possible.

Moreno was overwhelmed with emotion as they entered Me-n-Ed's Tuesday evening, realizing her son is helping fulfill her childhood dreams.

"I'm just touched by him a lot, my little miracle baby," said Moreno. "I never got to go to Disneyland."

The Pizzeria started the program two years ago, to try and fulfill any wishes they can for kids.

"We just want to partner and give back to the community, so that's a good thing. Me-n-Ed's has been there for plenty of years, plus everybody knows our pizza, everybody loves it. Plus, it's always amazing to be part of that and support that as well," said Vanessa Franco, Me-n-Ed's Visalia General Manager.

His mom is now happy and ready to be at the happiest place on earth.

"Just entering the gates, seeing the Mickey Mouse logo," said Moreno. "You know you have that dream when everybody is at baseball games, 'Where are you gonna go after this?' I'm going to Disneyland! I've always wanted to say that."

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