a hungry child cannot effectively study or work
Last year during our visit to San Jorge La Laguna, we delivered food baskets to needy families. What a treat it was for us to give and them to receive! Chickens, eggs, fruits and vegetables, rice, corn and beans. In the land of giant-size portions and buffet restaurants, food like this would not be treasured and likely would not last long. However, in Guatemala, the spread shown in this picture fed the entire family for a week. I’ve seen gifted families cry upon receipt of a food basket like this. For a family that is used to only beans and tortillas, and some days not even that, this gift is incredible!
Once, while visiting a school in the department of Escuintla, a student explained to me how difficult it was to do his homework because his stomach kept grumbling. “I try to concentrate, but my focus changes from the paper to my belly. Some days it really hurts a lot and I can’t think about anything else!”
Experiences like these led us to commit to providing additional food baskets as part of our 2018 project budget. With four children that we sponsor, we didn’t want the money we were putting towards their education to be for naught. Here are the food baskets that each of our sponsored kids and their families received for Christmas last week:
In addition to providing food baskets, other ways that Guatemala Service Projects combats hunger is through the support of community feeding programs. Last year we provided funds for the meal (and served it!) at the Elderly Feeding Center in San Jorge La Laguna. This coming year, we are supporting Nuevo Reto — not only with their community library and carpentry tools for their vocational training programs — but also with a new stove and a large set of 70 each of new forks, spoons and soup plates for their weekly meal program. Nuevo Reto is doing wonderful things, not only for the children living in the youth transition home, but with others in their community. We are happy to be playing a part!
NOTE: Guatemala Service Projects sponsors one student, and GSP VP, Trent Faith, sponsors three.
The “right” opportunity arose when I learned about a travel opportunity for adoptive families which would include volunteer work and cultural sightseeing. Being members of that team had a profound impact on me, Lillian and Andrew. Not only were we able to make a real connection to our son’s birthplace, but we met incredibly warm and generous people, all of whom we now consider to be a part of our “family.” In addition to the volunteer work I shared with the Team, I also was able to “give back” by performing as my alter ego, “Farfel the Clown” at a barbecue for children of The Backyard School. It will remain one the proudest and happiest memories of my life.