In This Issue: -
Client of the Month
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Yes But… You Betcha!
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Meet Our Volunteers
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Didjano
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Toy Drive Ongoing
| | | | | | | | Meet Aida Caballero
Aida is one of our BVB "family." Well over the mandatory retirement age, she receives no pension or social security. She enjoys dressing in bright colors and is a slightly built woman. Her home in Jaramillo is a modest structure, which to reach she must climb mud steps. These steps are carved out of the ground and, after heavy rains, are difficult to ascend and descend.
Aida has no family members to assist her, and she lives alone. She suffers from diabetes and other health issues and has limited intellectual capacity. To help support herself, she creates small crafts and sells them on the street in Boquete. | | | | | | How is it possible that BVB can claim that every dollar donated goes to purchase food? Every organization, even an all-volunteer one, has administrative and overhead costs! Yes, but… BVB is so lucky! Thanks to the Fundacion Pro-Integracion (FPI) we do not have to own or rent a facility. FPI completely disrupts their operations for 24 hours each month, closes their thrift shop, and clears their display space for us. BVB receives a $5,000+ truckload of food from a distributor. Our volunteers stack the food items, then pack them assembly-line style into large bags. Other volunteers arrange the bags so that clients can come get them, or our delivery volunteer drivers can easily load them up and take them to our clients. However, BVB is growing and we may need to move to a larger space soon.
Don't we have expenses like software, legal fees, office supplies, etc.? Yes, but…BVB is so lucky! We have many volunteers who make donations and give us permission to use them as "unrestricted funds" so we can cover administrative costs. Volunteers also pay for supplies or software subscriptions out of their own pockets so we have a category in our bookkeeping system to track expenses that were paid for by, but not reimbursed to, the volunteer.
So if someone makes a donation online or at the Thursday Market without designating anything special, every penny really goes to food costs? You betcha! And we are so grateful for your support that enables us to assist more than 130 local families meet their nutritional needs each month.
| | | | | |  | | Brandy Gregory - Panamanian and US Citizen | | | | | | | | | | | | Originally from Nashville, Brandy retains a piece of her hometown in her heart. She had immersed herself in the music scene there, moonlighting at the Grand Ole Opry tours. Her real job at that time was working in the advertising department of the newspaper. She got to meet many Opry performers including Roy Acuff, Little Jimmy Dickens, and other "near-forgotten-now giants."
Brandy retired from nursing, ending her career as a prison nurse. She worked for the Tennessee Department of Corrections beginning at Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility, a maximum-security prison with a medical center, the Mental Health facility (which housed the criminally insane), the Sex-Offender Treatment facility, and a nursing home-like facility for the elderly/infirm inmates serving life without parole.
"My most notorious patient was James Earl Ray, who was sentenced for the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.," Brandy says. "He was such a quiet, sad little man and I actually really liked him."
Brandy and her husband Bob moved here 17 years ago; they wanted a temperate climate year round, a lower cost of living, and a slower lifestyle. They found their house on their first trip in 2006 and returned several times to complete the purchase. Brandy loves Panama so much she became a naturalized citizen about four years ago. She is active in her church, Boquete Bible Fellowship, where she coordinates the Children's Ministry/Sunday School.
Brandy volunteers with Buenos Vecinos because she feels that helping people is important. Her roles have included packing, delivering, and being the liaison between BVB and the Boquete Knitters and Quilters. One of Brandy's most powerful experiences since being involved in both organizations is the story of Marisol.
"Marisol was a sweet, tiny local woman who came to knit with us," Brandy explains. "She actually had a brain tumor, but she would come every week to 'knit for the poor.' Yet she herself was a BVB client. From her I learned what true charity was. I miss her and her sweet spirit and her loving hugs." | | | | | | | | | | | | BVB is still collecting toys or donations of $10-15 with which to purchase toys until the end of December. Our donation box is located at the table at the Thursday Market. Other donation boxes are located at Casa Viejo, RednBlue, and MailBoxes, Etc. Here you see one of the Amigo de Animales building's guardian cats assisting with collections. | | | | | | If you shop the Thursday Market at the Animales building you may have seen the smiling faces of BVB volunteers seated at the Buenos Vecinos table each week. Please stop by to say hello and hear the latest about what we're doing to serve Boquete's neediest families.
Most often you'll be seeing Jennifer Reyes and Valorie Tintinger, our "dynamic duo" who love meeting people and talking about the organization. Jennifer and Valorie also work on Packing Day the last Thursday of the month and then Luisa Adams takes over the greeting duties.
If you like meeting new people, representing a good cause, and would like to know how to work at the table, contact Betty Speyer at espeyer@hotmail.com. | | | | 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. | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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