In this Issue: • BVB Moves into New Home • Family of the Month • A Happy Christmas for Hundreds of Kids • Big Daddy's New Year Event Benefits Buenos Vecinos
| | | | | | We Came, We Packed, We Delivered! A Successful Move | | | | | December marked a milestone moment for Buenos Vecinos de Boqueteas we officially moved into our new home in the warehouse behind the Toledano egg store, located across from the Los Naranjos gymnasium. Our new facility has already proven to be a game changer for our operations and our ability to serve the community.
From Vision to Reality in Record Time The transformation of this space is nothing short of remarkable. Our dedicated building crew included Ken Albright, Joe Anthony, Paul Arrandale, Heidi Deja, Brandy Gregory and Bill Hardeman. Dan Jampole and Mark McKay were project managers, and John Wiseman was the foreman. They worked tirelessly to prepare the location in an incredibly short timeframe. They constructed sturdy packing tables, built custom shelving units, and organized the entire space to ensure we were ready for December's packing operations.
A Space That Works for Everyone BVB's new permanent home will allow us to do many incredible things. We previously did our packing at the Amigos de Animales building. Our new facility is much larger and has plenty of space for storing inventory, an area for meetings, and an area for coffee and refreshments for volunteers on packing days. The high ceilings and doors on both ends provide ventilation, and the loading dock is a real plus. It allows us to load more than one volunteer's car at a time. Having room to store inventory month-to-month will enable us to save money by buying wholesale in quantity. The space also provides a new home for Amigos de Boquete, an organization that works with local schools to provide lunches for the children. | | | | | | | | At our January pack, we welcomed Ted Hannig and Elmer Guerrero from Rio de Amor, who came to learn more about how we are helping the Boquete community which they have fallen in love with. Ted's foundation has generously supported Dog Camp and was a sponsor of our Black & White Ball last August. At a charity luncheon following their visit, Ted announced that his Foundation would cover the rent of our building for one year!!! This generous gift means both Buenos Vecinos and Amigos de Boquete can spend more money on food. "I am hoping this is a drop of oil on a whole big wheel of volunteerism and helping neighbors in the community that helps build momentum and sustainability" said Ted. | | | | | | | | | | | Meet Estefany and her daughter Sharlen. Estefany lives in Palmira with her husband Guillermo and their three young children. Sharlen has an undiagnosed condition that causes some paralysis. The family currently has no income and no family in the area to provide assistance, so Buenos Vecinos will be delivering non-perishable food items to the family for the foreseeable future until Guillermo can find work and provide for his family once again. | | | | | | | You can sponsor a family like Estefany's for a donation of just $50 per month. If you donate through our U.S. PayPal account and you file taxes in the U.S., your contribution could be tax deductible. Click on the PayPal link at the bottom of the newsletter to donate whatever amount is comfortable for you, choose monthly and you're done! Your gift will automatically be sent to BVB to help with food purchases. Please consider joining our growing family of monthly donors. There are many families who need your help. | | | | | | | A Happy Christmas for Hundreds of Kids | Our Toys for Kids Drive was once again a huge success. We purchased, wrapped, and delivered toys to 299 children in the Boquete area this year, receiving huge smiles and excited faces in return. This was a monumental undertaking, but the community responded generously and the BVB volunteers were motivated to spread joy to our kids. A huge thank you goes out to organizer Joy Drover and her merry band of Christmas elves for their hard work: Sue Davis, Betty Speyer, Jaye Robinson and her friend Liz, Melinda McClure, Valorie Tintinger, Karen Friedhaber, Jeanette Hall, Mark McKay, Quarlan Witt, Heidi Deja and Joseph Anthony. Despite the added complexity of volunteers picking up both food bags and Christmas presents, December's packing operation ran smoothly — a testament to the planning, the space, and most importantly, the dedication of our volunteer team.
Not only did the Toy Drive provide gifts for local children, but we were also able to give the Asociacion de Caridad de la Comunidad de Boquete (ACCB) 108 toys as well as cash to provide toys for children in the Comarca area, a journey made annually by ACCB volunteers.
A heartfelt thank you to all of you who donated toys or cash to bring Christmas to our needy families! | | | | | A Festive Celebration to Benefit Buenos Vecinos | | | | | Thanks to volunteer extraordinaire Mark McKay, the New Year's Eve party at Big Daddy's restaurant was a benefit for BVB. Chris Young generously donated $10 from each ticket, and Mark's silent auction brought in more donations. In all, $820 was raised for our soon-to-come food bank. A huge thank you to Mark, Chris, and everyone who attended. | | | | | 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. | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.