Written by Doris Gallan, July 2023

This two-part article reviews the partnership between FoodBank Lakeside and the community kitchen in San Antonio Tlayacapan (part 1) and in a similar operation in Ajijic (part 2).

FoodBank Lakeside understands the importance and value of involving community members in its work. Mexican volunteers help to identify individuals and families in need, collecting and distributing the despensas (food bags), and cooking and delivering food to persons unable to do so for themselves.

A partnership has been forged between FoodBank Lakeside and a community kitchen in San Antonio Tlayacapan (SAT) and the Ajijic DIF (Desarollo Integral de la Familia, equivalent to child and family services. The FoodBank had been providing, for two years, the SAT community kitchen with despensas valued at M$ 1,000 each month. In January 2023, the FoodBank leadership team voted to instead provide the kitchen with M$5,000 a month to expand the program covering SAT and Ajijic.

A group of FoodBank Lakeside volunteers collect the food cooked by the San Antonio kitchen, bring it to the Ajijic kitchen, and then–with the help of local volunteers–deliver it to shut-ins in the community. They include Brian Sowle, Patti Glasner (currently covering for Mary Paston), Ruby Wanders, and Mark Dansson.

Mark commented: “Community engagement is a very powerful part of the whole thing. Alicia García García, a volunteer with the SAT kitchen, is very good about that and she knows that it’s something we are looking for. She’s an important cog in the SAT organization that provides the kitchen where volunteers cook food for both San Antonio and Ajijic recipients.”

Alicia agreed with the importance of partnerships: “We have formed alliances with FoodBank Lakeside, Lakeside Presbyterian Church, and Pancho’s Fresh Market. There are so many things we’d like to do for the community but we must focus on the things we can do at this time, like the food kitchen, something we can provide with consistency. Our strength is the community kitchen through which we offer help to people.” The SAT kitchen has been feeding people for five years and began receiving support from the FoodBank Lakeside one year ago.

FoodBank Lakeside delivers food to the SAT community kitchen where it is cooked by volunteers: Eduwigues Lopez, Maria Romero, Virginia Antolin, Lourdes y Maria del Carmen Hernandez. On recent visits, they were cooking nopales with pork and nopales with chicken as well as the ubiquitous beans. The San Antonio women all agreed that while they serve food to approximately 50 to 70 individuals who come to the kitchen, they aren’t able to feed everyone who needs it. They estimate that at least another 15 individuals are in need who aren’t able to come to the kitchen. Many are old or sick and can’t walk and would benefit from the delivery of cooked food to their homes. But this is a service they are unable to provide.

The volunteer cooks and servers said that many people come for food as well as for social contact. Alicia explained: “While they wait for their meals, they sit on the benches at the entrance to the building and chat with others. So, a lot of the people who come are alone, often seniors, who have little contact with others. Their only social contact is with the people here. To these recipients, the social contact is just as important as the food they receive.”

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 at: https://foodbanklakeside.org/volunteer/. Director of Volunteers Steve Motenko will contact potential volunteers. The SAT kitchen and association welcome volunteers as well as financial support. Contact the author of this article at doris@dorisgallan.com for more information.

Next time, we’ll take a look at the volunteers and recipients at the Ajijic DIF kitchen where the SAT-cooked food is packaged and distributed to the community.

Part 2 will be posted in August 2023 and the featured story in our August 2023 Newsletter.