Gift of Food

Mother Teresa taught that if you can’t feed 100 people then feed just one. 

Malnutrition is rampant in Guatemala, but the current need for food is even more acute.  Because of Tropical Storm Agatha in the summer of 2010 and the destruction it caused to the corn crop and land, the corn shortage has now begun in earnest.  Guatemala now has to import corn from Mexico, driving the cost of corn up and making it scarce. 

Instead of worrying about what to cook for dinner as we do in our country, many families in Guatemala worry about IF there will even be food for dinner.  Some days only a plain tortilla and some salt is all the food a child may eat for the day.  Even children often work under the hot sun for meager amounts just so they can buy some food to eat for the day.

One of the ways we can help is by providing sponsored food baskets to those most in need.  A typical food basket might include chicken, incaparina (a fortified cereal), squash, carrots, fruit, beans, rice, corn and whatever else has been identified as most needed.  This all comes in a reusable plastic basket.  Mayan Families, our host group for our service trips, buys the fresh fruit and vegetables from other families in their programs to help support those families too. 

As many of you know, Nuestros Niños is going to Guatemala this summer on a service trip to help with various programs.  One of our goals is to provide a minimum of 10 food baskets to 10 families while we are down there.  Each basket is only $35.  Think of how easily you often spend $35 on refreshments at a ball game or a new pair of jeans.  Then think of how much a basket of healthy food would mean to an entire family that has no food to feed their children.  Normally my biggest problem at dinnertime is what we are going to fix – not IF we are going to have food to provide to our family…

Please consider a sponsorship of $35 to provide nutritious food to a family (by June 5^th).  We will gladly take a picture and card from your family to the family that receives the basket – and provide your family with a picture and information on the family that receives it. 

Protein and nutritious food are vital to a child’s ability to learn.  Though we can’t feed everyone, we can start by feeding one…

blog by: Sharon Grussing