Buenos Vecinos De Boquete Newsletter February 2024

[NewsLady]

View this email in your browser In This Issue: Family of the Month   Thank You for Bottle Donations   Boquete Volunteer-Palooza   Volunteer of the Month   Family of the Month   The Ricardo Guerros Ricardo lives with his wife, Deimy, and three children ages 8-11. They live in a tiny one room house with the kitchen and bathroom facilities behind the house.     Ricardo was previously employed as a bus driver for Avicola, the chicken company, until he had a stroke which left his right side partially paralyzed. After extensive physical therapy he can walk with a cane but has limited use of his right hand.  He receives a small pension for his disability but because it wasn't a work related injury he doesn't receive any other assistance.     The children are healthy and happy and the parents chose to live in their current location because it is closer to school. A good education for their children is a top  priority for Ricardo and his wife.     They are grateful to be part of Buenos Vecinos's food support program. It has been a challenge for them to have enough food for the family at times with their limited income. Thank You for Bottle Donations Thanks for the tremendous response to our request for plastic bottles with handles for our Food Start program. Due to your donations, we now have a several month supply of bottles and we are not in need of bottle donations at this time. Boquete Volunteer-Palooza Tuesday, 30 January, marked the first Boquete Volunteer-Palooza of what we hope is a yearly event.   To draw attention to the event, there was a mariachi band playing for the first hour. Attendees enjoyed listening to the spirited songs and speaking with the musicians. Betty and Ellen at the table before opening Brandy of the Boquete Knitters talking with Said Doktormontaz, contact person for the event. Held at the Arco Iris building, it was a part of the regular Tuesday Market. The event offered anyone there the opportunity to see volunteer organizations in Chiriquí which are currently active. Buenos Vecinos, Boquete Knitters, and the Fundacion Pro-Integracion (Handicap Foundation) were all well represented. Are you looking for a way to volunteer with Buenos Vecinos?   If you’re interested in volunteering with Buenos Vecinos de Boquete, there are a number of opportunities. We need drivers to deliver our food bags to client families. We also need substitute drivers, as our regular drivers may not be able to deliver food every month. We have Spanish speaking volunteers who can assist on your deliveries.   Some of the other volunteering opportunities we have include: train to be an ambassador and represent BVB at the Tuesday Market, join other volunteers at the Handicap Foundation on Saturday morning to play games and do crafts with some of our clients who have special challenges or serve on a committee like fundraising, special events or social media.  Please fill out our volunteer application form at https://www.buenosvecinosdeboquete.com/volunteer/ and we will contact you with more information. Volunteer of the Month Stan Kempf is a well-rounded man. He takes piano lessons, sails, and more. He is friendly and enjoys talking to people. Originally from Dallas, TX, Stan chose to move to Panama in 2016 after talking with a Panamanian co-worker which piqued his interest. “After some research, the summer of 2013, I came on a relocation tour, visiting Panama City, Volcan, Coronado, and Boquete. The following year, 2014, I returned for another visit. I chose Boquete because of the climate. I wanted to retire and live in a different country, learn and experience another culture and, as a challenge, learn another language.”   He began volunteering almost immediately; the second week he was here he began offering his time at the Handicap Foundation of Panama (Fundación Pro Integración de Panamá).  The more he volunteered, the more he heard about BVB. He had volunteered with Louise Orr and Paul Arandale at other events and he wanted to give back more, so about five years ago he asked to be included in the monthly volunteer email.   When asked why he chose to donate his time to BVB, Stan responded “I wanted to be involved in the community and contribute as much time as I could as a way of giving back. It’s just the right thing to do, helping the less fortunate who really need it. It just seemed natural. I credit my mother, Betty. Since I was 12 years old, my mother would take me to all her volunteer activities which she went to after a full day at work. She was usually in charge of these activities, so she’d put me to work.”   Stan began his volunteer work at BVB as one of the “heavy lifters.” He started working with Paul and the other men outside organizing the clients’ filled food bags, which is the heavy work. Currently, he is packing, so he is on the food line.   Saturdays, as he does his cross-volunteer work with the Handicap Foundation, he passes out food and does more heavy lifting such as exchanging gas tanks or moving items.  Additionally, Stan helps clients complete the activity of the day, and he goes to pick up donated items.   When asked about his most powerful experiences as a volunteer, he said packing the food on the last Thursday of the month, and two days later seeing the clients’ faces as they pick up their food bags is humbling and personally rewarding.  “These people are just a very small percentage of those who really need our help. Without BVB these families would be struggling finding food.” He also finds it moving to assist clients, when asked, to carry the heavy bags of food across the street to the bus stop. Stan continues with “I know they are grateful for what we do because when we see each other in Boquete or in David they always say ‘hola’ or wave to me.” Buenos Vecinos exists to help people who are unable to meet their basic food needs. We have provided emergency food support on many occasions and have been successful in helping families through hard times. We will help them with food support until the working age adults in the family can find enough income to become self-sustaining. If you prefer to donate by cash or local check, please visit our table in the Arco Iris building at the Tuesday Market, or contact Trish at BuenosVecinos79@gmail.com Be sure to check out our website and Facebook page: Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BuenosVecinosDeBoquete/ Website: http://www.buenosvecinosdeboquete.com/ Copyright (C) 2024 Buenos Vecinos de Boquete. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. 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