With the generous help of individual and sister Rotary Club donations, our Club has expanded its emergency food relief program in several ways.  In the last month we have increased our direct food purchase/packing/ and distribution of despensas( weekly bundles of food) from 48 to 125 families around Lake Chapala. We are now supporting the food needs of two local orphanages ( Hope House and Love in Action), serving 43 kids. And we are partnering with several like minded charities such as the Tepehua Centro Communitario, Poco a Poco and Lakeside Presbyterian to provide additional food to the communities that they serve.

 

We're closed but we are busy.  There is a rapidly emerging crisis of hunger in our greater community as factories, restaurants, fields and stores closed under government mandates.  Our Club is partnering with generous individuals and Clubs in Canada and the U.S. to raise funds to pay for weekly food bundles (despensas) with basic supplies and soap.  Club members are buying and distributing dispensas to villages in which we already have connections so that we can assure that the MOST needy are receiving the goods.  We are also working with other Lakeside philanthropic organizations who are doing the same kind of work and are serving different populations to help them fund their expanded efforts in this time of great need.

 

The 3 day Chili Cookoff is Lakeside's biggest annual charity event. Last year nearly 500,000 pesos was raised to be split by 9 local charities.  In order to contribute to the success of the Cookoff, we run the Mexican food booth and also work behind the scenes in the supply distribution for all of the vendors and operations of the three day event.  We are proud to be one of the cookoff's beneficiaries as our "split" goes directly to support other community groups in our area.

The Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club has been working for three years to bring clean water, on a consistent basis, to the village of Ojo de Agua on Lake Chapala. This tiny village of 300 people has only had access to water during the rainy season, from streams off of the hillside.  Nevertheless, when we tested the stream water it was rated as one of the purest sources around the Lakeside.  Working in partnership with the local municipal government of Poncitlán, drilling began early this month and a clean, water was found at 200 feet.  The source appears to be sufficient to supply the village.  Further testing of the water must be done by the State Water authorities.  

Our Club has applied for a Global Grant, with international partner clubs of South San Francisco, Lincoln, CA, Fountain Hills, AZ and Winnipeg West, Manitoba to fund the holding tank, and distribution system and home water filters, throughout the village. In the meantime, club members are teaching water and sanitation classes in the village, using United Nations approved Project Wet materials.

The Rotary Club of Winnipeg West, as part of their international outreach, has joined with our Club to raise money for water projects in Ojo De Agua.  Recently they sent a check for $1500 CDN which equals over 27,000 pesos.  Rotary Clubs around the world work together to help the less fortunate have better health, education and economic opportunities.  This is another example of the power of the 1.2 million members of Rotary.

 

 

 

Nine Rotarians pitched in with a lot of physical labor to help take down the booths, tables and chairs at the annual Feria de Los Maestros.  The coordinator of the Feria was very appreciative of our willingness to do the unglamorous job of "clean up", especially when the other volunteers were exhausted after three days of work.

 

Other Rotarians also pitched in over the three days weekend by hosting artists for 3 days at their homes, announcing ( bilingually) stage events, and helping with admissions.  Truly a weekend of "Service above Self".

On September 27th, our Club donated 20,000 pesos to Escuela Foraneh #1 Jose Vasconcelos in Chapala for a permanent playground roof that protects from the rain and sun as students play and assemble outside.  This secondaria (middle) school is inner city with little space for students to congregate outside the classroom.  The parent club has been working for three years to raise the funds for this project and our donation gets them nearly to the top.  We hope that other like minded people and clubs will donate to help finish off this project.