2024 Newsletters
December 2024
This morning, for the first time, I got to hand out despensas at a location in Chapala and then deliver to the homes of recipients who are unable to pick up their food. I wish you could have been with me. I believe you would have been as moved by the experience as I was.
November 2024
Every five weeks FoodBank Lakeside provides 447 dispensas for 310 families. These bags of staple goods include oil, milk, rice, beans, eggs, tomato sauce, pasta, oatmeal, toilet paper, soap and detergent. Pet food is available to all families with pets, provided by Pet FoodBank. Two local businesses- the Chapala Surtidor de la Ribera and Antonio’s Abarrotes in San Antonio-prepare the despensas, ordering and bagging all of the items for distribution with no charge. Local volunteer teams which are a partnership between local Mexicans and foreign residents then deliver the goods to families in need in Santa Cruz, San Pedro, San Nicolas, Ajijic, Chapala, and Riberas. A family will receive either a small or a regular quantity of goods, depending on their needs. A small bag of dispensas costs $233.68 pesos, a regular bag is $378 pesos.
October 2024
One of the most endearing aspects of living Lakeside is experiencing what a caring and generous community this can be (by local and expat residents). Whether it is aiding victims of flooding or mudslides, rescuing animals or preparing and delivering food to those without proper resources, the good people of Lakeside will be there.
September 2024
CreSer came into being about four and a half years ago. Through hard work, commitment, and with a holistic vision, the organization has sustained some impressive initiatives. CreSer currently has five dining halls that prepare and provide daily meals to five hundred people in communities to the east of Ajijic and Chapala.
August 2024
FoodBank Lakeside is making a difference in the community, one meal at a time, thanks to its innovative Dine & Donate program. This initiative, which began with just a few restaurant partners, has grown to include nine participating eateries as of July 2024. Each of these restaurants has a simple yet powerful way for diners to contribute: a colorful table tent at every table implores, “You Can Help Beat Hunger.” For the price of an average meal, a donation can feed a hungry family of four for a month.
July 2024
If you wake up early on Monday morning and visit El Proyecto in San Antonio, you’ll meet Alicia sweeping the front sidewalk. She’ll welcome you into the kitchen to meet Doña Maria, the beloved jefa of the kitchen, and a friendly crew of women volunteering to prepare about 100 hot meals Monday through Friday.
June 2024
Martha Angelica Gutierrez works full-time at the Surtidor warehouse providing Foodbank Lakeside with the lowest possible prices on the best goods available and preparing those goods for distribution to the most needy in our communities. The recipients of those goods are carefully identified by local contacts in each community to ensure that they are indeed in need of support. Despensas (bags of food and goods) are distributed each month. Foodbank Lakeside also collaborates with programs that serve hot meals to children and that bring prepared meals to shut-ins, much like Meals on Wheels.
May 2024
In this issue, we embark on a journey through the present, the future, and the path that lies between. Just as every organism undergoes a life cycle in nature, organizations too evolve organically, from inception to maturity, and sometimes beyond.
April 2024
Happy Birthday Foodbank
Four years ago, amidst the depths of the Covid pandemic, volunteers initiated the distribution of food in Ajijic and San Antonio, catering to hundreds of individuals and families on the brink of starvation. Fast forward four years, and FoodBank Lakeside remains steadfast. Together, we are changing lives and making a difference.
March 2024
Evolution Of Hope: Tracking The Stories Of Program Recipients At FoodBank Lakeside
FoodBank Lakeside will celebrate its four-year anniversary of unwavering commitment to the community. As we near this significant milestone, we reflect on stories from the past, starting with profiles of some of the initial despensa recipients.
February 2024
Leticia Mendoza Jimenez is the abuela of one of these three-generation families receiving FBL despensas. As such she is key to her family’s functioning. Her small house, augmented with a “casita” made of mortarless stacked cinderblock and tarps, is home to Leticia, two daughters, a son-in-law, and 12 grandchildren.