Food Aid
Mrs. Laura Hall’s Sixth Grade Homeroom and K-8 Students of St. Peter’s Catholic School in Kansas City, Missouri
So you’ll know, the sixth graders mentioned specifically above organized a bake sale and jeans day for a “Save El Salvador (SES)” week a few weeks ago, after the mudslides and flooding in El Salvador. We are very proud of their efforts.
On Sunday, Dec 20, 2009, Beth Tellman wrote for the Friends of Santiago Texacuangos
Angie and St. Peter’s and Mrs. Laura Hall’s Class:
On behalf of the people of Santiago Texacuangos, I want to thank you so much for your generous donation. Of course, money will be essential in building the emotional and physical lives and communities broken by the rains and cyclical poverty in El Salvador. We promise to keep updates on the blog, and I am trying to get out an e-newsletter this week with an update of our 3 main projects as well as how we have spent the money so far. Of course, money is essential.
But I think more importantly, the fact that I am able to report to Salvadorans that entire schools are mobilizing… is an incredible energy of solidarity and hope that is desperately needed in these times. The media forgot in 3 days, and the government declared the emergency “over” only 3 weeks after the storm. But for Salvadorans it is far from over. And to know that there are still humans in far away places intentionally wishing them well means more than I can possibly describe in words.
When school is back in session, I would be happy to do a skype-video meeting with any group of students or classrooms. Mercedes and I did a little skype event with Brebeuf Jesuit Highschool (Indianapolis), and I think the students got a lot out of it, because they could ask questions live. Mercedes also LOVED to see the faces of the generous humans in solidarity with her people.
Feel free to contact me if any of you or your friends come to El Salvador and would like to meet with me or Mercedes, or even visit any of the communities.
Thanks for getting involved, and for working so hard for justice.
Merry Christmas! Stay Warm! Feel loved!
Paz
Beth and the Friends of Santiago Texacuangos
from http://www.friendsofsantamaria.blogspot.com/ Saturday Dec. 19,2009
Summary: Heavy rains in El Salvador on November, 7th 2009 killed over 190 poor Salvadorans and have left 15,900 homeless.
Before I launch into an explanation of our projects, I want to acknowledge several large donations we recieved this week. First, a $3,000 donation from the SHARE foundations was transfered to NGO Mujeres Transformando in nearby Santo Tomas. This enabled us put 100 families in a food aid program with CONFRAS (Confederations of Agrarian Reform Cooperatives). Mercedes and Beth’s truck will deliver food grown by Salvadoran cooperatives. Double Whammy! Food for those who need it AND a boost to the local economy.
Big thanks to Xavier College Prep Highschool in California and St. Peter’s Catholic School in Kansas City MO. Each of these schools organized HUGE fundraisers for Salvadorans! Obviously, I was blown away by the sheer $ amount of the fundraiser. However, more amazing I think is the solidarity and energy it took to organize something like that. The Media, NGOS, The World Food Program, and the Government all seem to have forgotten about Salvadorans affected by the storm. It is a bright light of hope for Salvadorans to know that students far away have not forgotten them. Mercedes is constantly excited at how many new friends El Salvador has made in the wake of the disaster. What a different world we would have if humanity always did this kind of stuff for each other…