Poverty
Mexico is a Third World country. Many of
its people live in poverty. San Juan Cosala was a fishing village
on the north shore of Lake Chapala even before the arrival of the
Spaniards in the early 1500’s.
With the demise of the lake whitefish
shoals on which most villagers formally depended for their
livelihood, it is today a particularly poor, essentially Mexican
village, where many lack basic necessities – food, shoes,
and even blankets for warmth. Houses are often little more than
unheated, dirt-floored, semi-open structures. There is no
social "safety net" as we know it for them in Mexico.
Many children are unable to go to school because school supplies
(books, paper, writing utensils, etc.) are not provided and must
be purchased.
OPERATION FEED
In June, 1995, two American couples, the
Scotts and the Smithburgs, members of St. Andrew’s Anglican
Church , joined a concerned Mexican couple in responding to the
needs of their neighbors in San Juan Cosala – a need
exacerbated by the upsurge in inflation and unemployment that
followed the devaluation of the peso – and OPERATION FEED
was launched. Financial and volunteer support from members of St.
Andrew’s and from many others in the expatriate Canadian,
American, and European communities in the nearby lakeside
villages has enabled the work to grow rapidly.
By early November, 1997, plastic
"dispensas" containing staples such as rice, beans,
pasta, milk, cooking oil, sugar, cookies, and chicken parts were
being delivered to forty-eight (48) families every Tuesday
morning. Although numbers fluctuate from year to year, there are usually fifty (50) families at any given time in the program. All
too typical among the recipients are elderly singles or very
large families headed by mothers whose husbands have disappeared.
In both situations, these persons are virtually completely
dependent on their weekly OPERATION FEED delivery.
Integrity
Despite its rapid growth, a set of
principles established from the outset has maintained the
remarkable integrity of OPERATION FEED:
 | The Father and the Mother Superior of
the local Roman Catholic Church, together with a
respected third member of the Mexican community refer
families to the program based on greatest need. |
| Literally 100 % of all cash donations
go to the purchase of food at wholesale prices.
Administration costs are literally zero! This is achieved
by the efforts of our volunteers. |
OPERATION FEED has approximately thirty
(30) volunteers. Volunteers make needed shopping trips into
Guadalajara to buy at wholesale markets. Volunteers repackage the
bulk foods into "large dispensas" for families of five
or more and "small dispensas" for families of four or
less. Finally, volunteers make the Tuesday morning deliveries to
our families. Of course, volunteers with vans are very popular!
Relationships
The relationship between volunteers and
the families served is a joy to experience. Tuesday morning has
become a high point of the week for both as friends greet
friends. Families are often large – our fifty families add up
to 300 individuals. But each is known by name. Every Christmas,
an additional "angel tree" project at St. Andrew’s
Church ensures that each child receives and appropriate Christmas
gift with his or her name on it.
Project Support
Operation Feed, a major outreach ministry
originating from St. Andrew’s Church, also enjoys
considerable support from the community-at-large in the Lakeside
area. Cash donations are now regularly supplemented with gifts of
clothing, shoes, bedding, and other household items.
Many individuals from the local area and
from around the world have inquired about the actual costs
involved in supporting this ministry. At present prices (May,
1999) food for this entire program costs approximately $1,000.00
USD per month. Expressed another way, $15.00 USD will provide for
a "small" family, or $30.00 USD for a "large"
family, for a whole month!
Particularly encouraging is an emerging
trend whereby church congregations, schools, and other groups in
Canada and the USA have chosen to support Operation Feed as an
on-going Third World outreach project. After all, so little goes
so far! Donations that would seem modest in a Canadian or US
context can dramatically change lives in the Mexican context.
10 Questions about "Operation Feed"
- What do you feed the people? Some basic food - beans, rice, pasta milk,
oil, sugar and a few nutritious cookies for the children. These are the items
most needed as determined by talking to our people. The food is purchased at
two wholesale houses in Guadalajara.
- How do you determine the need for food? We use a survey given to
prospective families by persons fluent in Spanish. These surveys are given at
least once a year. Because we are in contact with our families every week we
can respond to any changes. Because a family has received food is no guarantee
their support will be continued. Some times the support is temporary and some
times it is for an extended period of time.
- How big is Operation Feed? We range from 41 to 50 families, from 250 to
300 persons. We have help from 39 St. Andrews' members and help from many
others. The help includes money, trips to Guadalajara each month, Wednesday
deliveries to the homes, and donations of clothing and goods for home use. We
believe in prayers of supporters. We are now in our 9th year of operation and
have never missed a weekly delivery.
- What is the most important benefit besides food that we give to the
families? The greatest benefit is education. Several of our families have had
to make a choice between food or school. Now many of the children are in
school for their first time. A child will never reach university level if they
can not ever reach elementary school. They also cannot do well in school if
they are really hungry. They cannot find suitable employment if they cannot
read and write.
- What other benefits are associated with Operation Feed? Our families have
a great need for clothing. People in St. Andrews have been wonderful in
meeting this need. Loretta carefully sorts the clothing to fit the needs of a
particular family. Some of our families do not have the 10 pesos fee to use
the local clinic. Earl has met this need many times and has provided
transportation when necessary. Earl has also alerted the clinic when a home
visit is required. Members of the Church and others have freely donated
articles for home use on many occasions - examples are mattresses, used
stoves, linens, kitchenware and even soap. The generosity of our church is
amazing.
- Do you feel the people try to help themselves? Absolutely! They are so
honest about looking for work and when they obtain it they often tell us, and
sometimes say, "Now you can help someone else." This is based on week by week
contact over 9 years of time.
- What does the special Christmas delivery do? Every part of the special
Christmas delivery is funded by extra gifts as given for the Christmas
delivery. It is not paid for by the weekly contributions or by the funds from
this committee. We are very careful that every peso given for food goes for
food.
 | Every member of a family living at home receives a "Goody bag" of fruit,
nuts and candy. |
| Each family receives one or two chickens. |
| Every member up to age 13 receives a gift from St. Andrews' Angel tree. |
| If enough funds come in for the Christmas delivery, we buy more candy to
give to other children who see what is being given out. |
What persons or groups deserve a very special "thank you" for their
extraordinary service to Operation Feed? There are many we could list, but
here are some of the most noteworthy:
| The extended family of Jim and Anne Scott who give significant money. |
| The Smithburg's gardener, Arturo who prepares the weekly dispensas and
goes to help each distribution. |
| The Outreach Committee of St. Andrews Church |
What is our financial outlook? We feel we are blesses by the fact that we
have never missed a weekly delivery. We have repeatedly thought, 'We are
not going to make it this month, but we have by cutting off some persons,
cutting down on the food, or by receiving an unexpected cheque. The $6,000
pesos that the Outreach Committee has given in the past has paid for 3 weeks
delivery. We need all the help you can give. The last month we had to
eliminate the milk and cookies for the first time.
Will this project continue indefinitely? To the best of our ability, our
health, our resources and continued support, we will continue to help meet the
needs of the very poor in San Juan Cosala. We feel God has sent us here for
this reason. We also feel the Outreach program of St. Andrews is Faith in
Practice.
Operation Feed - How Can You Help?
- Give money for weekly food distribution - give to Earl Smithburg or Jim
Scott. Cheques need to be made out to Earl Smithburg with the statement at the
bottom saying for Operation Feed. If for Christmas include that at the bottom
of the cheque.
- Buy gifts for the children on the Angel Tree.
- Give new or used clothing to Loretta.
- Make some weekly deliveries on Wednesday.
- Take a large truck or van to Guadalajara for food. We go once a month.
- Talk to the new people and urge them to support Operation Feed.
- Volunteer your typing skills to Operation Feed.
- For more information, call Earl Smithburg 387 761-0117.
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