|  | In This Issue: -
World Hunger Month
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Client of the Month
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Leaving a Legacy
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Tito, the Seed Whisperer | | | | World Hunger Month |  | World Hunger Day is May 28
Men, women, and children face hunger every day due to many reasons including climate change and poverty. Women and adolescent girls are disproportionately affected. The effects of malnutrition are passed down from mother to child with children suffering unalterable impacts on their brains and futures.
Malnourishment has developmental, economic, social, and medical bearings on every country. Communities, families, and individuals are all affected to varying degrees. Women and children, especially those living in poverty, are most vulnerable to undernourishment. In many countries, to reduce burdens on their families, girls marry at very young ages before they are fully developed; these girls then have babies early. Babies born to malnourished mothers are malnourished themselves. For more information see: https://www.worldhungerday.org/
This is why the work of Buenos Vecinos de Boquete is so important. There are NO Panamanian food banks. BVB currently feeds approximately 120 families in the Boquete area. Many of these families have several children and nutrient rich foods are vital. There are many more families and impoverished elderly who need our help.
Help us reach more needy families by supporting us with a monthly gift. Only $45 a month will provide food assistance for a family of 4-5 for a year. https://www.buenosvecinosdeboquete.com/how-you-can-help/
| | | Client of the Month Ernesto Montenegro |  | Ernesto, a man with a large and friendly smile, is in his early 60s. Because he has been unable to work for quite some time due to an accident, he has no income and no retirement funds. He does not walk well as a result of the accident and his blood pressure is high. In addition, he has passed the age of mandatory retirement so even if he could work, he would not be hired.
He has relatives who give him a little money on an irregular basis, but the money does not cover his needs. His house is small with no windows and is spartanly furnished. | | | | Leave a Legacy | Planned or Legacy Giving
Have you considered what you wish your legacy will be? Thought about how to make a big impact on many people? You can put your assets to work helping to feed those in dire straits in the greater Boquete area through Planned Giving. This is a philanthropic practice which give you a great opportunity to make a lasting impact. Please consider making Buenos Vecinos de Boquete (BVB) a part of your estate plan.
The BVB mission is to provide basic nutritional needs for people who are elderly, handicapped, have large families, or a combination of those things. In other words, people who are unable to feed their family or themselves adequately without assistance. BVB is currently feeding 120 families which range in size from 1–20 people almost half of whom have a disabled person in the family. As of May 2024, the cost of feeding a family is $540 a year. As prices rise our costs to feed a family rise.
Planned/Legacy Giving is done in consultation with your attorney when doing your estate plan. Once bequests to family members have been determined, people generally look to make donations to the charities they support. If you've already settled distribution of your assets in your home country, why not consider leaving your Panamanian assets in Panama. This happened recently, when a woman donated her house in Boquete to be sold, with the proceeds going to her favorite charity. It's a great way to simplify distribution of your Panamanian assets and can have a lasting impact on the mission of the charity for years to come.
What a wonderful opportunity to leave a memory of your life. Major gifts, such as Planned Giving, give us the opportunity to continue to meet our mission goals and increase the support we give those who are the neediest in our community. BVB was recently the recipient of a planned gift. This donation allowed us to add more families to our growing list and provide them with vital support until they're back on their feet or, in the case of isolated, impoverished seniors, as long as they need us.
Resources used & there is great info in these sites: https://trustandwill.com/learn/planned-giving
https://www.pnc.com/insights/corporate-institutional/manage-nonprofit-enterprises/donor-questions-before-giving-to-nonprofit.html? | | | | The Food Whisperer |  | BVB has a Food Start program where our clients receive a monthly live plant that they can transplant and eat when it is ready to harvest. As the saying goes, the seeds don't grow themselves, so we have a plant whisperer, Tito Bernacony, who does the tough part of the job for us.
Tito lives with his wife and son. He is an engaging man, full of energy and enthusiasm. His greatest joy comes from donating time to the larger community. He says "I was treasurer of the Catholic Church for 30 years, as well as president and a member for 18 years of the rural aqueduct water community." He still contributes as much as possible, participating in local boards and collaborating with Operation Smile since having surgery for his cleft lips and palate.
Tito has been working with plants since he was 16, when he went through a Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (Ministry of Agricultural Development) program. He began with a greenhouse project and worked up to being a farm manager.
He has 25 years invested in greenhouse management which involves "first, the land, with a soil analysis, to verify that it can be planted. Then evaluate height (of the greenhouse), wind density, daylight to qualify the height and measurements in which it will be built. This then moves on to construction costs and other costs." Once all of that is determined, the type of seeds and/or plants are chosen to plant or transplant.
When doing the "seed whispering" for BVB, Tito chooses seeds for their "resistance to diseases and pests, and also that they are organic and highly productive so that they maintain their quality and flavor." Seeds germinate and become viable plants to give to BVB families between 22-35 days, depending on the seed variety. During those days, he gives them good care, which includes watering them as needed, applying organic insecticides, checking for weeds and fungi, checking leaves and roots to make sure they are healthy, and, finally, check for pendulous stems or buds. When asked what else he would like our newsletter readers to know about him, he responded "my dedication has always been the service to the population, which is where my happiness and my desire to get up every day come from. Thanks to God that I have the blessing of a good family full of love, understanding, and energy to carry out all my daily activities." | | | 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. |  | | | | | | Our partners and sponsors |  | | | | | | | | | | | | Copyright (C) 2024 Buenos Vecinos de Boquete. All rights reserved.
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