Community Engagement
Mudslide and Disaster Relief
A fierce storm hit the Lakeside area during the early morning hours of Tuesday, October 5, 2021. Several inches of rain in just a few hours turned creeks into raging torrents that stripped the trees from sections of the mountainside and sent tons of mud, rock, vegetation, and other debris towards the houses below. Hardest hit were neighborhoods in west Ajijic and San Juan Cosalá, as well as communities on the back side of those mountains, in the municipality of Ixtlahuacán de Los Membrillos. Houses filled with mud, damaging the structures and destroying the belongings within. Luckily there were no human or animal deaths.
A distribution point was set up in a small church in La Canacinta, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in west Ajijic, where those in need could go get help. While temporary shelters had been established, most of the affected people preferred to camp in their homes if they could, or to stay with family members. On the day following the disaster, FoodBank Lakeside volunteers arrived at this distribution center with despensas and other donated supplies and interviewed families to make sure that the despensas and supplies went to those who truly needed them.
FoodBank set aside two donation funds: one for mudslide relief money collected on behalf of the municipality, and another donated directly to FoodBank but earmarked for disaster relief, which will be spent as we learn of ongoing needs and to make sure that the resources go to those who need them most.
Wheelchairs For The Disabled
Many of the families who receive despensas from FoodBank Lakeside have family members who are ill or disabled. Through the caring attention of our Local Coordinators, we have been able to partner with organizations like Chapala Sunrise Rotary and a Florida-based organization, Chair the Love, to provide families in our community access to desperately needed wheelchairs.
Wheelchairs can be a transformational vehicle for an individual or family. Many of the chairs went to children and adults who are too big to be carried and are unable to walk; some were using cardboard to slide from place to place. These chairs have enabled their families to take a bed-ridden family member outside the house and enabled some adults more autonomy and the ability to contribute to their family’s day-to-day activities. Wheelchairs are such a lifeline of support, we are grateful that we could identify the families in need and partner with Chapala Sunrise Rotary and Chair The Love.
RIGHT NOW, YOUR SUPPORT MEANS MORE THAN EVER.
IN 2020
- 12,608
- Despesas
- Given Out
- 1,044
- Families
- Served