By Donna Fullerton

Needless to say, 2020 has been a year of distressing changes to daily life. But what has not changed is Feed the Hungry San Miguel’s dedication to serving the needy. 

For 35 years, Feed the Hungry (FTH) has been committed to feeding as many as 4,500 children in their school kitchens. When schools closed in March, those children lost what was often their only nutritious meal of the day. Many of their parents lost their sources of income, and had no idea how they were going to survive. FTH was motivated to find a way to keep feeding those kids and also their families. 

Through their Feed the Families Emergency Response operation, critical supplies of food and hygiene products are delivered to 37 communities. More than five tons of food are packaged every working day. Seven local charities and several community aid groups also receive the supplies to distribute to their beneficiaries. So far, more than 60,000 food packages have been provided—the equivalent of more than seven million meals. Tons of food purchased, packed, loaded onto trucks, taken to the underserved rural communities of San Miguel, and distributed by their staff every week.

Along with the food, FTH continues to provide education. As they visit the communities, staff nutritionists and chefs also provide mothers with instruction on preparation of the ingredients delivered, as well as good hygiene practices. They see the tears of gratitude on the faces of people who had not known where their next meal was coming from. This gives meaning to all the hard work and risk involved in carrying out this plan. 

A beneficiary in the rural community of Los Ricos de Abajo recently told a FTH representative that she feels she is “seen” and not forgotten. It gives her hope that perfect strangers are helping her family of four avoid starvation. 

It seems unlikely that schools will reopen any time soon. Until they can resume the school meals program, and until the economy recovers enough for parents to be back to work, FTH will have to find a way to raise even more funding in order to continue feeding close to 20,000 people affected by the crisis. To learn more or make a tax-deductible donation, please visit feedthehungrysma.org. Even a small amount can have a big impact.

“Whether you donate to Feed the Hungry or a charity of your choice, let’s start the holiday season with a giving heart. It doesn’t take much to show someone that you care,” says Al Kocourek, president of Feed the Hungry. 

Established in 1984, Feed the Hungry San Miguel, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) U.S. non-profit corporation guided by a dedicated Board of Trustees, supported by a small professional staff and a corps of exceptional volunteers. Feed the Hungry San Miguel, Inc. raises funds and provides guidelines to its Mexican operating entity, Feed the Hungry A.C.