WHY WE HELP
According to the Mexican government’s own statistics, 44% of Jalisco’s citizens live in poverty, subsisting on the equivalent of $150 USD/month and lacking basic necessities like electricity, running water, a roof over their heads, or a floor under their feet. They have no safety net and many suffer serious disease due to malnutrition and inadequate living conditions.
To learn more about the nutritional challenges for those living with food poverty in the villages to the east of Chapala, please read our interview with Dr. Beatriz Gallagher. Dr. Beatriz Gallagher (Dr. Bea) is well known amongst Lakeside residents. Born in Mexico, educated in the USA with advanced degrees in nutrition, Chinese Medicine, and Integrative Medicine, she has broad experience consulting with both Lakeside residents and poor populations east of Chapala.
For a better understanding of the rise of kidney disease on the shores of Lake Chapala, please read “The Rise of Kidney Disease in the Indigenous Villages of Lake Chapala”, by Patricia Moran, the FoodShare Director of Poco a Poco San Pedro Itzican. Patricia is also part of the FoodBank Lakeside Leadership Team and was instrumental in bringing the Kids Kitchen partnership to us.