Buenos Vecinos de Boquete November Newsletter

[Buenos Vecinos de Boquete]

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Donations for Flood Relief in Chiriqui Because of the effects of Hurricane Eta in the province of Chiriqui, Panama many people have been left homeless, without food and in great need of assistance. For the month of November, Buenos Vecinos de Boquete will be accepting donations to provide food relief for flood victims. We will also continue food support for all of our current Buenos Vecinos families. This is a time of extreme need in our communities that have been impacted by the flood and we want to help. You can make your donation using the PayPal button below or by contacting Louise Orr. If you make a donation using PayPal, please indicate on the donation that it is for flood relief. Thank you for helping us help our neighbors in need.  AgroNosotros Sustains the Boquete Community and Agriculture with Innovation and Generosity. Recently I had the opportunity to meet the cofounder of AgroNosotros, David Sewell, and his wife Debra in their spacious office in Plaza Senderos. The other cofounder, Darren Doyle, lives in Panama City. My goal was to learn more about this progressive company which has been a generous supporter of Buenos Vecinos since 2019. Of course, most of us know their Central Avenue cafe/retail location, The Perfect Pair. But what else is behind the brand? It turns out to be a very great deal more!   In essence, AgroNosotros is a sustainable specialty agricultural company. They have developed eleven coffee fincas in Boquete since 2014, and five cacao plantations in Belize. Their operation is fully integrated “from the nursery to the cup” as Mr. Sewell stated. Their fincas are under the management of Andres Lopez, head of the agricultural team; from seed development in the nursery to processing the beans. The finished beans (or cacao bars in Belize) are marketed and exported directly around the world.   Underlying this integrated approach, are three guiding sustainable principles: economic, environmental and social. Economic sustainability means working smarter for their over-400 business investors. Environmental sustainable practices include protection of the soil and water sources, wastewater management, even a worm farm! Most directly impactful are Agro Nosotros’s social initiatives. Their over 100 workers, both in Panama and Belize, receive a fair wage, live in decent housing, and enjoy educational opportunities and medical benefits.   I was very impressed with this innovative company, and I speak for all of us at Buenos Vecinos, and the families we serve, in thanking David and Debra Sewell, Darren Doyle and the AgroNosotros team for their financial support.   Louise Orr Chairwoman, Buenos Vecinos de Boquete Family of the Month November 2020 Abuela Maria and her Granddaughter Fifty-year old Maria lives on a little property that she and her husband bought many years ago and where they raised their four children. When he died ten years ago, Maria found work cleaning houses and transporting neighbors or shopping for them in her old but reliable sedan. She was living a simple life that even gave her the opportunity to volunteer at the nearby Handicap Center (FPI).   But a few months ago her life changed dramatically when she became the full-time guardian of her eight-month old granddaughter; she could no longer work outside the home or help her friends at FPI . Maria’s children have families of their own to support during this difficult time of the pandemic, and therefore, have little extra to share with their mother and niece. Her income has been reduced to the modest rent she receives for a casita at the back of her property. Regardless of her financial situation Maria is a doting abuela and professes, “This beautiful baby is a blessing!” Last month Maria’s neighbors alerted Buenos Vecinos to her plight; a brief visit confirmed that she was certainly eligible to become a BVB client, and now she is receiving the monthly food basket and feels grateful for this life-line. How to Help If you would like to help our clients and the efforts of Buenos Vecinos de Boquete, we would appreciate your donation of any size. It’s important for you to know that we are a small all-volunteer force with no administrative or overhead costs. Every dollar of your donation goes to the purchase of food for out clients. When you make that important decision to help feed the less fortunate in our community, you have truly become a “good neighbor”. When you donate $400 a year or a little more than $33 a month, you become a Coconut Foundation Member as an acknowledgment of your concern and generosity. Donate Online: We use PayPal for easy and secure transactions.    If you prefer to donate by cash or local check, please contact Louise Orr panamaleo@gmail.com for arrangements.   Be sure to check out our website and Facebook page:   Face book page: https://www.facebook.com/BuenosVecinosDeBoquete/   Website:  http://www.buenosvecinosdeboquete.com/ Thank you!

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