Many FoodBank Lakeside recipients suffer from chronic illness, and of those, diabetes is the most prevalent. The disease can cause heart problems, stroke, and nerve damage that can lead to blindness, amputation, and other problems. Mendoza is one of these people. At 73 years of age, he has no immediate family. His right leg, amputated at the knee due to diabetic complications, left him confined to a wheelchair and unable to work construction. His only income is the small pension of $1350 pesos (US $68) paid to seniors over 65 by the government. 

Blas lives on a vacant lot loaned to him by a distant cousin. For a time, his home consisted of a makeshift lean-to built from scraps of wood, cardboard, and plastic. But once he started receiving FoodBank despensas, he was able to save a portion of his pension. With that money, and materials, he constructed a one-room home with concrete block walls, a laminate roof, and even an alcove with a compostable toilet. Blas had help from friends but did much of the work himself. 

He has no electricity, uses a solar lamp for light, and cooks his food over firewood because he can’t afford propane. But it’s still a big step up from his prior situation. 

He has even been able to scrape money together to buy seeds and plant corn. With the good rains this year, his small crop is doing well. He will be able to eat some, sell some, and feed some of it to his small flock of donated chickens. 

Nearby lives Lourdes Magallón, a 60-year-old woman who also has lost a leg to diabetes. In addition, the disease robbed her of most of her eyesight. Because of these two health issues, she spends her days confined to the tiny house loaned to her by a family member. 

Her small income comes from selling clothing, donated by other people, in front of her house, and selling cleaning products. Most of this income goes to the adult diapers required for her incontinence (another effect of diabetic nerve damage), and to buying medications unavailable at the local clinic. The monthly FoodBank despensas are essential to her survival. 

Blas and Lourdes are just two examples of people in our Lakeside communities for whom FoodBank Lakeside is a much needed and appreciated element in their efforts to improve their lives in the face of adversity.