A refrigerated van was stolen in the night. For a city caught in a homicide crisis, this was petty crime. But for three restaurant owners, it was the last of several devastating thefts that have left their small businesses reeling.

Without the vehicles, Marcos Tlacopilco, who travels to either New York or Maryland thrice weekly, has difficulty getting the fresh fish he needs for his restaurants, Marco’s Fish Market & Crab House and Alma Del Mar. The seafood restaurant, named for his wife, Alma Romero, garnered fame when it was featured for a makeover on the fifth season of Netflix’s Queer Eye.

Nacho Flores, who opened Los Taquitos de Puebla in 2020, struggles with buying food and supplies. “My van was stolen in February and a few days ago, Mrs. Alma’s work van was stolen, so we cannot buy another van to do the shopping for our businesses,” Flores said.

That’s the reason behind the trio’s $45,000 crowdfunding campaign, which has been verified by GoFundMe. As of Thursday, 37 donors had given $1,377, but less than one out of four crowdfunding campaigns reaches its goal. For the restaurant owners, the largest contributor, at $150, is Jill Fink, executive director of the Merchants Fund, a nonprofit grant-making organization that has also provided emergency funding to Tlacopilco.