Part Two:

In Part One, we looked at the partnership between FoodBank Lakeside and the San Antonio Tlayacapan (SAT) community kitchen. This second part of the article covers how food cooked in the SAT kitchen is brought to the Ajijic DIF where it is packaged and distributed. 

Three days a week, volunteers with cars transport large pots of cooked food from the SAT kitchen to the Ajijic DIF (Desarollo Integral de la Familia, equivalent to child and family services). There, Maria Teresa Gomez Rojas (Tere) ladles the cooked food into plastic yogurt and fruit containers for distribution to individuals and families. Tere explained, “There are approximately 50 people receiving food from the kitchen. We bring them cooked food because often they are unable to cook for themselves.”

When asked why she volunteers with the El Proyecto, Tere said: “Well, simply because the program needed people to help out. We give our time to help the program. We provide food for people who are sick or need help. The number of people who need help hasn’t changed since the pandemic ended. The number is the same.”

FoodBank Lakeside volunteer Mark Dansson, who leads the Partnerships Team, went on to say, “Families in Ajijic receive food three times a week thanks, in part, to the volunteer drivers. The goal is to do it five days a week. We have each volunteer driver work one day a week so that we don’t overburden them.” The deliveries on this day required about two and a half hours to complete including collecting the food from SAT and bringing it to Ajijic, chatting with Tere as she ladled the food into the containers, driving around Ajijic delivering the containers, and returning the large empty pots to the SAT kitchen.

Deliveries were made to individuals and families above the carretera in Ajijic where beautiful homes and gardens surrounded seemingly empty, overgrown lots that were occupied by people living in small shacks.

Tere’s husband, Donato Morando Macías, joined Mark in delivering the food to mostly bedridden individuals and small families in Ajijic. On the drive around town, Donato reflected on the individuals receiving the hot food. “Some people are bedridden, and having someone drop in and provide food is a big thing for them,” he said. “There are three who can’t get up from their beds. I knock on the door but if they are unable to answer, I’m permitted to walk in to drop off their food. Many are old people who rarely see anyone and they are lonely. Some wait outside their homes and hope to socialize a bit. One woman receiving food, I think, is over 100 years old.”

While Mark drove through the cobblestone streets, Donato continued: “I used to walk all over Ajijic delivering the hot food. It would take two or more hours to deliver all of the food, walking from home to home. The volunteer drivers have made this so much easier as we can deliver the food in less than an hour in air-conditioned cars. Thanks to the support of the community, we can deliver all this food faster and in comfort.”

Back at the SAT kitchen, volunteer Alicia García García, who coordinates the program, encouraged others to get involved: “We feel a sense of satisfaction in doing this work that is impossible to explain. We invite the public to come to visit the association, see the work the volunteers do, and witness the appreciation of the recipients.”

The association needs more volunteers, both Mexican and from North of the Border. “In the past,” Alicia explained, “We have had volunteers from the technological school come to help us to cook food. They learned how different cooking for the community was from cooking in restaurants. Unfortunately, that program was temporary.”

Volunteer cook Maria Romero added that: “The students learned new things. We learned from them and they learned from us. We learned a lot from them.” 

Back at the SAT kitchen, Alicia explained that through her employment with Pancho’s Deli Market, she has developed contacts with wholesalers from whom they can buy food cheaper than through retail outlets. 

The association, as Alicia calls the group responsible for the SAT community kitchen, offers opportunities for the development of community members. She explains that other than food, it offers English-language classes for children, adolescents, and parents. They will soon offer mathematics classes thanks to an American volunteer. They would like to also offer courses in home skills such as cooking and sewing. The association also has an infirmary providing basic medical services for 40 pesos per consultation.

There are many opportunities to volunteer and give to support the work the FoodBank does in the community. Individuals wanting to volunteer with FoodBank Lakeside are urged to fill out the short form on their website by clicking the HELP OUT button at https://foodbanklakeside.org/volunteer/. Director of Volunteers Steve Motenko will contact those who fill out the form. The SAT kitchen and association welcome volunteers as well as financial support. Contact Mark Dansson at foodbanklakeside@gmail.com for more information.