Hi

Yesterday June 7th I met up with my last group of cruisers before I head back to Canada.  There were 11 folks with 3 from Georgia and 8 from Colorado.  The school supplies and backpacks will be distributed this summer by Carmita, my parent rep to the identified children.

Again I want to thank all of you who have supported this endeavour over the past 3 years…you have MADE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of the children here in Chicxulub.

A beautiful morning here in Chicxulub and it is countdown time for me to return to Canada to visit my family and friends.  Oh where has the time gone?  A couple, fairly new to the area will continue the despensa program over the two months I am gone and a big thank you goes to Kim and Shayne for stepping in.  They have also been active at the local nursing home and they bring a smile to the faces of the residents who wait for their arrival every week. 

When I return in September I hope to have the funds to reduce the waiting list and continue with the other parts of the program.

To all of you I wish a happy healthy summer and will see you in September…sharon

We had a beautiful morning to tour the school and village and the girls seemed to enjoy what they saw.  The trees are in bloom and there is a profusion  of wonderful colours and a variety of blossoms.

Hola

Another great week meeting cruisers this time from Galveston Texas.  The morning was very war with clear skies and so we set off to catch the local bus to take us to the school.  The school was closed thanks to a superpuente (an extra long weekend) so I took pictures by the wall of the school and then set off for the tour of the village.  We enjoyed the morning as we walked through Chicxulub and talked about the various challenges there are here.  People were friendly calling out buenos dias and the day was also the celebration for the albaniles (stone masons) which means a cross of flowers is put on the roof of building projects.

We ended up at Bamboo Beach to cool down and visit.  Cathy has her own project for girls all over the world and it sure sounds like fun.  Check out her website www.twirligirli.com

Good day

Well the holidays are over and the heat has arrived with a vengeance.  The daily temperatures are in the low 40′ every day.  I have a waiting list of 35 families but am not accepting new ones quite yet.  The donations have slowed down somewhat so I want to err on the side of caution. 

I continually re-evaluate what I can/cannot do on a weekly basis.  The school lunch program has 8 weeks left and the funding is getting low but it will be covered until the end of June.

Thanks to all of you who continue to support this project.

Middle of April and I have been remiss in not adding anything to this blog.  The Food Bank program now has 84 families on the roster and a waiting list of 35 more families.

I am attaching a few photos to show some of the new ones…

I have been so fortunate to meet many Americans who arrive in Progreso on the Carnival line who want to make a difference in the lives of the children here in Chix.  With donations from last season we were able to outfit 56 kids with school supplies and backpacks.  Thanks to all of you for participating.

4 new families added to the roster.

2nd successful fundraiser with bingos raising over 12,000 pesos for groceries

Still cool and windy and attendance at school is down again.

Here I am sitting inside on a very cool, windy day feeling somewhat at ease and I begin thinking about the families in Chix and how they must be feeling this cool weather.  I am fortunate to  have a roof over my head and warm clothes but what about them?  Depending on how long this norte lasts I wonder if school will be an issue tomorrow.

This week it is off to do more interviews with potential families on my waiting list.  I hope to do at least 4 so will let you know as the week progresses.

Welcome to the Chicxulub Food Bank Blog! Please help us make the most of this online tool by posting your comments about your experience(s) with the Chix Food Bank Programs or desire to know more and get involved in this important community project.

There is a huge need to assist people suffering from many forms of poverty. Your support can change lives.

We work on the following premise: to provide food to the families identified in a respectful manner while ensuring donations are used wisely with no affiliation to the church or government.

Our Mission

The long range goal is to;

• Delete the waiting list
• Increase the despensas to bi-monthly
• Involve clients in the preparation of the despensas as we grow.

Out of this project, many other needs have been identified and slowly being addressed:

• Improve the health of the people of Chicxulub by: providing eye care clinics (using donated glasses and the involvement of a local optometrist); clinics to learn about good oral hygiene
• Provide each family on the program with at least one warm blanket for winter months (achieved through a generous donation)
• Nutrition program for pre-schoolers. There is a high incidence of malnutrition in this community and we have implemented a breakfast program
• Prevention programs for back care
• Access to clean water for cooking and drinking
• Community billboard to identify skills of the townspeople to allow the foreign community to access these people during the winter months
• School programs for the afternoon children to include lunch, proper attire for school and school supplies.
  • Including but not limited to scribblers, pens, pencils, microscope, bag packs with wheels and/or lockers;
  • Uniform shirts and trousers
  • Shoes
• Bolsa de trabajo will provide information to the snowbird community of varied skills and handicrafts. In the future maybe a biweekly craft fair in the town square to showcase work.

Thank you for your interest in supporting this project!