We are pleased to report that 578 families received food assistance and over 400 children have received meals through the Kids Kitchens in August!
We at Foodbank Lakeside remain dedicated to the challenge. We are inspired by our donors who continue to give over and over. Neighbors Helping Neighbors is not just a slogan; it’s our mission. Thank you for being part of the solution for our local food poverty!
This month we are sharing the grand opening of two new Kids Kitchens in San Pedro.
Many dozens of children in La Peña and San Pedro Itzicán, small indigenous villages east of Chapala, no longer line up and then sit on a dirt patch to have lunch. And they no longer worry about the rain or a hot sun while they eat.
On November 17, ribbon-cutting ceremonies at two of the three Kids Kitchen locations in the San Pedro area celebrated new structures of roofs and concrete floors.
Catchment gutters have been installed to fill rain barrels during the rainy season; a water truck will fill the barrels at other times. There’s water now for children to wash up before lunch, and local women who do the cooking have water to clean up after serving.
And the children now also have a place to do homework and congregate with friends.
In large part, all this was made possible by a generous donation from an expat family from Ohio who has been coming to Mexico and Lakeside for many years. In honor of their mother, Edith Willoughby, who died in March at the age of 97, the family gave funds to provide materials for the Kids Kitchen projects.
Edith “is now protecting our children from the other side,” said Arturo Asencio, president of Poncitlan, who attended the Nov. 17 ceremony along with a dozen or so FoodBank Lakeside volunteers and Poco a Poco representatives.
Kids Kitchen, a collaboration between FoodBank Lakeside and Poco a Poco, feeds lunch to 300 children five days a week. Many of the children have shown early signs of kidney disease, widespread in the area due to poor water and nutrition. For most, this is the only real meal of the day.
After the children waited patiently for official ceremonies to end, everyone raised their hands to the question “¿Quien tiene hambre?” (“Who’s hungry?”) Eyes lit up as chicken and vegetable soup were served at one location, a bone broth and bean soup at the other, and tortillas, bananas, oranges and pineapple distributed. Some children had containers to save some for later or take back to their families.
Edith’s daughter Anne Willoughby McMillan was there representing the family. She said that when she first asked Patricia Moran of Poco a Poco what the villagers needed most, Patricia said, “Everything.” The family donated money earlier in the year to FoodBank Lakeside to supply the children with food.
for a week. But when the family thought they’d like something more permanent, the idea of structures came up. “The villagers took the idea and ran with it, and look what they did! It’s wonderful,” said Anne.
Anne said her mother supported many non-profit organizations, from The Nature Conservancy to church and family groups. “She was a teacher most of her life and loved children. She would be so happy to see her money being used this way.”
Edith, Anne and her sister and brother started coming to Mexico in 1996 and to the Lakeside area in 2015. They always donated to Operation Feed, the organization in San Juan Cosalá started by Viva Mexico restaurant owner Augustin Vazquez. A contribution to Kids Kitchen, a similar program providing food and improving the lives of the very poor and marginalized people of San Pedro, came somewhat naturally.
Feeding the children of San Pedro is just part of what FoodBank Lakeside does. But seeing the children’s smiles as they sit around sheltered tables having lunch with friends and siblings is an indescribably enriching experience.