Denton businesses raising money for victims in Uvalde

Local businesses raising money for victims in Uvalde

North Texas business owners in Denton organized a vigil and fundraiser to help the victims of the latest Texas school shooting.

DENTON, Texas - Business owners in Denton are helping families affected by the mass school shooting in Uvalde.

A vigil was held inside the Mellow Mushroom in Denton’s town square Monday evening.

Uvalde is in South Texas, west of San Antonio, where the restaurant’s general manager Tori Baretto grew up. She said she felt compelled to help.

"Some of them were cousins of cousins, you know, that lost their cousins or their brothers and sisters. So at the end of the day, family is family and it feels really close to us," she said.

"We all have children. We all feel that pain and fear that it could be us too," added Morgan Loftin, who helped organize a donation drive.

Baretto and Loftin joined forces with other business owners in the area to start collecting donations to send to Catholic Charities of Uvalde.

They raised $500 Monday night and hope to deliver the money in person within the next few days.