Needy kids need more than food. They’re hungry to feed their minds with books and other inspirational, educational materials. Until recently, just two FoodBank Lakeside-supported Kids Kitchens offered children a lending library.

Thanks to Lisa Beeman and Mark Rochon, now all six Kids Kitchens have a lending library – and much more. 

But making that happen took some doing.

A few months ago, Lisa, FoodBank Lakeside’s Director of Administration, and Mark, an accountant, and Director of Finance, left their Chapala home for California, where Lisa, “a teacher in my former life,” looked to cash in bonus points she had earned for helping her former students order books.

She asked Milagros Estrada, her principal at Los Medanos Elementary in Pittsburg, CA, if her book order could be delivered to the campus, so she could pick it up upon arriving in California. Using her bonus points plus $150, Lisa said she ordered “everything I could get in Spanish.” (Example: El Gato Ensombrerado – Dr. Suess’ The Cat in the Hat.)

Milagros gladly agreed – and also had the school office fill boxes with pencils, pens, markers, crayons, construction and writing paper and more, Lisa recalled.

Plus, Felicia Scheffler, the school librarian, pulled duplicate books from shelves.

Plus, the school contributed “huge tubs of math manipulatives,” such as linker cubes, pattern blocks, attribute blocks, etc. stored in the back of the library from past math programs, Lisa said.

Plus, a couple parents of Lisa’s ex-students saw her Facebook post and “brought a couple of bags of books and school supplies as well.”

Plus, Lisa bought pencil sharpeners online “since I figured all these donated pencils had to be sharpened somehow!” she noted.

As a result, the couple’s compact recreational vehicle was “completely filled, with the seats down.”

“Mark and I had to perch our luggage on top of all the stuff for the rest of the trip,” Lisa said – including a journey of about 3,150 kilometers (almost 2,000 miles) back home to Chapala.

Kids Kitchen Director Patricia Moran picked up the donation at the Rochons’ Chapala home. (Some donations also were picked up by Judith Sweet for FoodBank Lakeside’s Community Kitchen in Tlachichilco.)

“I saw it when it was still in boxes and tubs,” Moran remembered. “My response was ‘Holy Moly, this will make such a difference out there in the villages!’”

“These children are shiny little lights, full of eager potential, innocence, curiosity, love, willingness, open to life,” Moran said. “These children have nothing material and are so appreciative of everything offered.  One time, they asked for something they could take home to play with. I gave each child three crayons and a picture to color. You would have thought I had given them gold; they were so happy.”

“Lisa and Mark brought back a teacher’s donation, and it showed,” she concluded.

Moran added that more donations to Kids Kitchens are needed: “easy Spanish books, arts and crafts supplies, educational materials. There is an ongoing need since there are so many children – more than 700! You can imagine how quickly we go through basics like paper.”

Kids Kitchens are run by Poco a Poco San Pedro Itzicán with financial support from FoodBank Lakeside.  Click here to make a monetary donation. To donate books, arts and craft supplies or educational materials, contact Moran at mayulaugh@gmail.com or via Facebook messenger.