Buenos Vecinos de Boquete Newsletter March 2021

[NewsLady]

 

 

View this email in your browser Global Food Providers and Buenos Vecinos de Boquete- A Meeting of the Minds Global Food Providers  Farm Tour. Global Food Providers (GFP) might be a name you already know. Dr. Daniel and Tracy Daves founded this charitable organization several years ago and now operate the farm and processing/educational center in Potrerillos Abajo/Rovira. They provide near-organic vegetables and enriched free-range eggs at the Tuesday Market every week in Boquete and Potrerillos Arriba. In December we donated funds from the BVB Flood Relief Program so that Global Food Providers could purchase additional food to add to their own generous donation of vegetables for distribution in Cerro Punta and surrounding flood-ravaged areas.   And now we are learning how closely aligned are the missions of our two organizations. We are both committed to identifying the neediest individuals and families in our area to provide them food on a regular basis. We both serve widows, single moms and orphans, impoverished children, families of the handicapped, the vulnerable elderly, the indigenous and other malnourished people. Global Food Providers grows, processes and distributes fresh and dehydrated food; Buenos Vecinos purchases and distributes non-perishable food.   Global Food Providers also teaches local farmers and interested readers throughout the world, through Dr. Dave’s books and website, how to create a sustainable farm to feed themselves, their neighbors and their communities. Their farm is housed in 6000 sq. meters of greenhouse that produces vegetables of the highest available nutritional value. With the assistance of volunteers, they harvest, wash, cut and dehydrate these greens and turn them into a powder before they package them for our most vulnerable populations.   The super-foods of spinach, blue kale, swiss chard and mustard/collard greens build strong bodies and well-nourished brains. One heaping tablespoon of the powdered greens into the rice pot as it’s cooking infuses this local staple with the same nutrition as one full pound of green vegetables, a commodity sadly lacking in the homes of many poor families. But “green rice” might be a hard sell to these people, especially the children, even though the taste is still the same. So, enters a well-known and well-loved cartoon character familiar to most of the Latin American children, Popeye, a still-popular Saturday morning TV cartoon favorite. This figure is no longer copyrighted, so GFP uses him liberally in their education program to show the children that this is “what Popeye eats to make him strong”. The kids love the flavor and come back for more.   This is the point of convergence of our two programs. Buenos Vecinos is studying the feasibility of adding Global Food Providers’ super green powder packages to our clients’ monthly food baskets, the first available allotments going to our families with children. We are very enthusiastic about how this might enhance the health and well-being of our BVB families, and we will inform you of our progress down this exciting road.   Find out more about Global Food Providers as you view the above video or call Daniel Daves to volunteer to process foods at the farm on Thursday mornings or organize a group tour WhatApp +507 6121-0591. Or email them at info@globalfoodproviders.com For a comprehensive look at their programs, visit their website https://globalfoodproviders.com/ March Family of the Month Yesica Sanchez is a single mom who lives in a one room wooden home with her two young children, Ana Lisbeth 4 and Kaleb 1. She has been able to find jobs sporadically. She worked for Citrico, the large fruit company that employs many people in her community, a few months ago. Like many employers in Panama, Citrico hires young employees for three month contracts and then lets them go. After she lost her job with Citrico the only work Yesica has been able to find was a short term job picking coffee in Boquete. Their house has no electricity and the running water comes from a spigot in front of the house. She doesn’t receive any financial assistance from family or the government. She is feeling a little hopeless at the moment since she has some job skills but hasn’t been able to find more work. When asked what her dream for the future is she replied that she wants to find a job and a comfortable home for her children. Buenos Vecinos will provide Yesica and her children with supplemental food until she is able to find a long term job. 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! Copyright © 2021 Buenos Vecinos de Boquete, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Buenos Vecinos de Boquete Boquete, Chiriqui Panama City Panama Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.