He's cooked for presidents, but lottery winner now wants to feed the poor

But for Mendoza, winning a $250,000 lottery prize is an experience he never imagined.

“I have never won anything in my whole life,” Mendoza said. “This is an incredible feeling. I just can’t believe it.”

He said he was following his mother’s intuition when he bought a Hit $500 ticket from the 7-Eleven on Nations Ford Road in Charlotte.

“My mom was up visiting,” he said. “She told me she had a lucky feeling and knew I was going to win the lottery, so I bought a ticket.”

Mendoza took the $5 ticket home and started scratching.

“My hands started shaking when I saw the numbers,” he said. “I’ve been shaking ever since.”

Lottery results

Mendoza claimed his prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $176,876.

He said he plans to use the money to finish building a cafeteria in the Dominican Republic to feed the hungry.

“We feed more than 300 children through my foundation,” he said. “I know what it’s like to be hungry. I told myself when I was a teen that, if I’m ever in a position to give back, I’d do everything I can to make sure no one else has to go hungry.”

Hit $500 launched in July with six top prizes of $250,000. One top prize remains.