February 09, 2007, New director for Feed the Hungry, By Mary Murrell, Newest Casita Linda homeowners, By Jean Gerber and Holly Wilmeth, Global Justice campo trips, Women’s cooperative helps reduce emigration, By Betsy Bowman, Walking tours also on Thursday afternoons, Mujeres en Cambio lunch, Rural girls need more help, By Roger Hind, CANIRAC food festival

Olivia Muñiz Rodríguez, who has worked with Feed the Hungry for 12 years, has been named director of the organization as of January 1, 2007. We are very pleased to have a director with so much hands-on experience and who has been a major contributor to the growth of our organization.

In 1995, Olivia met Alice Minton, who was the treasurer of St. Paul’s Church. Feed the Hungry, which had originally been run out of the kitchen at the church, had three kitchens in San Miguel neighborhoods feeding hungry children. Alice wanted to ensure food was being bought at the best possible prices. So she asked Olivia to be in charge of purchasing, to identify the best suppliers and negotiate prices. At the time, Olivia had a full-time position teaching English at a secondary school in Colonia Guadalupe, but she was willing to help.

Then there was a problem in one of the three kitchens. An employee was not managing the kitchen well and Olivia was asked to see what could be done. She watched the amount of food being delivered and the amount being cooked for the children and concluded that some of the food was disappearing. She enlisted the help of her brother, an attorney, to remove the employee from the kitchen. Then she hired and trained a new cook. After this, Olivia was asked to supervise all of the kitchens.

Ultimately, Olivia decided she wanted to devote all of her time to Feed the Hungry, so she stopped teaching English. She worked with Tony and Shirley Adlerbert as the organization added more kitchens at schools with many hungry boys and girls. And she was part of the team that opened the very first kitchen in the ranchos, at Los Galvanes on the way to Dolores Hidalgo.

Today, with 27 kitchens operating every school day, effective supervision requires much more time. The kitchens are quite far from each other, so there is a lot of driving on bad roads and even through river beds.

I have made lots of trips to the ranchos with Olivia, stopping to see the cooks, who all call her Maestra. She is demanding and has high standards, checking everything in the kitchen from how clean the floor is to how the recipes have been prepared. I am always impressed by what she sees—from an apron that needs to be washed to excess bags of lentils in the back of the cabinets. And she is also very kind, arranging for dental work for an older cook who is worried about being able to pay the dentist or visiting a cook who had a death in her family, riding over miles of rutted dirt roads to deliver flowers.

Last year, Olivia promoted the first cook in the history of Feed the Hungry to a supervisor position, and she recently promoted two more. I asked her what she looks for when selecting a cook to move up to a new job. She answered, “They have to be good workers, very honest and really love Feed the Hungry. And I want to see that they are thinking about how to do things better, going beyond their job, taking initiative.”

Every Thursday and Friday when food orders for the next week are being completed, you can see three supervisors in the office. María, Rosario and Sonia are responsible for kitchens outside of San Miguel as well as in the city. Two are young women from isolated ranchos and none of them went beyond early grades in elementary school. They take turns using the computer to enter data from their kitchens, the inventory of supplies on hand and the number of children who ate each day. They have also learned to drive a pick-up truck and how to evaluate their kitchens and assign an overall grade each week.

When asked how Feed the Hungry has changed over the years, Olivia describes a broader perspective on helping the children. “We have grown a lot, become more organized and are looking at providing new things. Our pilot project to organize English classes taught by volunteers in the ranchos makes what we do for the niños more complete.

And we have also found we can go farther into the ranchos. After having a kitchen at Mission Chichimeca, we know we can go very far from San Miguel and still have volunteers who will drive for us. And we can get the teachers at the schools to help us with the kitchen, to be part of our team.”

I asked Olivia how she feels about her new role as director. “I am very proud of what we are now, how important we are in San Miguel and how good we are at what we do. We must be careful in the way we expand, to be sure we open our new cocinas in places that really need our help.” Then she added, “I never thought I would be the program director. I just loved my job and wanted to buy the food, check the kitchens and work with our cocineras to feed the children. But now I know I can help make Feed the Hungry even more complete, providing more things for the children and also more ways for the women who work for us to grow.”

When I asked Tony Adlerbert, executive director for over 10 years, his views about Olivia becoming the director, he said something all of us who work closely with her know: “I am not sure Feed the Hungry would be what it is today if we didn’t have Olivia.”

When Chad Payne was awarded a sabbatical from a major international business consulting firm, he decided he wanted to work as a volunteer in Mexico and “truly make a difference.”

He knew he wanted to spend his time in San Miguel, so he researched local charitable organizations looking for a good fit.

“I have a background in health care and I speak Spanish, and I wanted to have an opportunity to participate in delivering service. Feed the Hungry offers a volunteer a role working directly with the schools and the children and provides a chance to make a positive impact on a child’s life quickly. This can range from delivering food to finding new locations for kitchens to helping develop new programs in the villages and schools where Feed the Hungry has kitchens.”

Mary Murrell, president of the board of trustees of Feed the Hungry, received an email from Chad last September and they began to plan how he could join the team for six months. “I was so happy he was interested in being part of Feed the Hungry. He has an impressive background and a lot of project management experience. He has focused on process improvement and information systems, so I knew he could add a great deal of value in many areas of our operation. Plus, he speaks fluent Spanish, and we have seen he is great with the people and children in the villages!”

Chad is already managing projects for Feed the Hungry, such as a pilot program of English classes for elementary school students in Los Ricos de Abajo. Jackie Donnelly, an expert in teaching techniques for foreign language instruction, and Dr. Shirley Waterhouse, of Emery-Riddle Aeronautical University, who is a professor of computer-based learning, are major contributors to the design of the English program. Chad is working with them in setting up the English classes and will also be one of the instructors.

He is also developing a case management system to track children who are referred to other charities or service providers by Feed the Hungry. School directors come to Feed the Hungry with children who need glasses or medical or dental care. “It is very important for us to make sure children are getting care when we refer them to other organizations. We want to make the process as efficient as possible,” Chad pointed out. “A computerized case management system will make it easier to determine whether the child received care and whether we need to follow up in some way.”

Chad is on sabbatical from his position as director in the Health Industries Advisory Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in California. His clients have included large hospitals and health plans across the United States. When not serving clients, Chad has been a frequent speaker at professional meetings of major health care organizations.

Chad received his BA in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. He also completed studies at Pontificia Universidad Católica in Santiago, Chile.

“Although I have been in San Miguel with Feed the Hungry a few weeks, I’m amazed at how quickly this experience has made a mark on me,” Chad said. “When you head out to the ranchos and see the curiosity, interest and appreciation on the faces and in the voices of the kids that Feed the Hungry touches each day, you cannot help but realize how incredible and important the mission of this organization is. I’m very proud to be associated with Feed the Hungry and can’t wait to see how these six months unfold!”

Feed the Hungry provides hot, balanced meals to over 3,000 hungry children every regular school day. They also provide jobs to 40 Mexican women who run the kitchens and receive year-round income, medical benefits and a pension. Through careful attention to operational efficiency and a large number of dedicated volunteers, Feed the Hungry can feed a hungry young girl or boy for an entire year for US$65. For more information, see www.feedthehungrysma.org.

Casita Linda, A.C., is a Mexican nonprofit organization founded in 2001. Our primary goal is to provide simple, decent housing to the most disadvantaged who are living in shacks. We are focusing on helping those with such limited resources they cannot apply for government housing programs. Casita Linda selects families in need, provides materials and volunteers and manages every aspect of construction with participation from the recipient families, making it possible for these families to own a simple, solid home with electricity and water.

Feliza Morales, mother of eight children, has been living in Los Galvanes for the past 20 years. When she first heard she had been chosen to receive a home, she thought these crazy Americans were out of their minds, but then she got excited at the idea of having a lovely place to call her home. After 20 years of living in a one-room adobe shack, this new home is a fresh welcome. Feliza gets a little help from her eldest two children, who work to help their family in any way they can. The minute the home was finished and painted, Feliza set about hanging pictures and curtains and putting potted plants around the house. Feliza is a beautiful, sweet woman who has made this Casita Linda house into a beautiful little home.

Marcela sits on a small plastic chair outside her one-room adobe home holding her two- month-old son, José Santiago, while her two daughters, Evelyn Paola (five years old) and Karen Vanessa (three years old) slowly come over and sit with their mother, each holding a stuffed animal almost as large as she is. Marcela stays at home and takes care of the two small children since Evelyn Paola is now in kindergarten. “I hope to be able to send all of my three children to school, give them an education and hopefully make a better life for them,” she quietly says. Her husband, José, spends most of his time working on different construction sites, and depending on the season, he is also out in the field. For the Morales family, the construction of this new home means a brighter future. “It somehow has given us the hope that our three children will have a better future. I want to make sure we can give them that. We’ve gotten help from our family with food, but never anything like this before. Our home at the moment is
very cold.” All five are living in a tiny, one-room adobe shack in which they also cook their meals. The Casita Linda home will give them dry shelter to sleep in and hope that their dreams can be achieved. It is a beautiful, loving family that we are very happy to be helping.

María Matilde Morales Morales

María Matilde’s tiny, pink canvas dwelling sticks out like a fungus growing on her brother’s small Mexican home. She lives in this with her eight children, ranging in age from 13 years to 1 year old. When there is extreme rain or cold, her brother allows her to stay temporarily in one of his two rooms with her family, fitting half of her children on the one bed and the other half on the floor.

A year ago, María Matilde’s husband left her and their children for another woman. For the first six months, she received a little help from her husband, but after that she hasn’t received a peso, and the only help she gets is from the little washing she does for neighbors. Her situation is dire; she has barely enough to feed her children, and she is trying to make a home and be able to provide for an education for her children. In the beginning, she couldn’t believe that Casita Linda was going to build her a home—dreams come true, but not many have come true for María. “This new homes means so much to me and for helping to keep my children healthy,” says María, with a smile so warm that it takes the chill out of the cold morning.

Imagine that it only takes US$1,400 to build a Casita Linda cement house. Our families are not concerned about what type of flooring to use, or having cantera columns. And they’re not worried about having talavera tiles to choose from or whom they should use for landscaping design. They are just so happy to have a roof and a floor—and a shower and a sink. We are so pleased that we can help these people, and if you want to really make a difference in someone’s life, come on out and join us. Or just contribute a few dollars to help. Check out our website at www.casitalinda.org. Contact Jean Gerber for more information at jean@casitalinda.org or Martha at naycast@hotmail.com to sign up as a volunteer.

Global Justice campo trips

150-0025; 300 pesos

El Moral
Saturday, February 17

Cruz del Palmar
Sunday, February 18

Women’s cooperative helps reduce emigration
By Betsy Bowman, Feb 9, 2007

The Center for Global Justice invites San Miguel residents and visitors to visit nearby communities. We all know that emigration from the countryside to big cities and the US is a major problem for those left behind, for those emigrating and for those whose communities are the destinations. We have seen many creative solutions in our communities to the basic problem of lack of work. Or rather, there are few people to organize the work in order to transform it into salary-producing jobs. But there are people who have a vision of how to organize income-producing jobs.

Saturday, February 17, we visit with such a person—Angelina Sotto Rios, organizer of the women's sewing cooperative La Trinidad in the community of El Moral. Faced with the dilemma of needing income, Angelina and the women in El Moral tried a new solution—organizing a cooperative to produce and sell clothes.

When they began in 1999, they had 26 members, but as they realized the amount of work and commitment involved, the numbers dwindled to 6. Initially, Angelina had to travel to Mexico City to get federal grants for the building, the sewing machines and the training. Another obstacle was the persistent skepticism of the women’s husbands. But they got funding for their factory and built it with their own hands and 28 sewing machines and training on how to use them, and today they are producing clothes. One of the members, Juanita, had been trained to make patterns, from a picture, in any size. Juanita can also make elaborate bridal gowns. Today, Angelina spends time looking for places to sell their clothes. One high-end, trendy shop in San Miguel sells them. We saw a beautiful man's silk shirt hanging on a rack in their factory. It had a price tag of 2,000 pesos! We wonder what percentage of that the women producers receive.

But the good news for them—and also the Hidalgo network of agricultural cooperatives—is that there are federal and state monies available for legally constituted cooperatives. The Center for Global Justice can help groups navigate the paperwork to get legally established and get grants, and they can also help with loans to a cooperative to cover their share of the money for the project not covered by state or federal grants.

Cruz del Palmar

On Sunday, February 18, we visit the rural community of Cruz del Palmar, one hour north of San Miguel in the high desert on the dry Rio San Marcos, a tributary of the Rio Laja. Water expert Atahualpa Caldera along with local community leaders explain the water problems and other issues they face.

The people of Cruz del Palmar have welcomed us before to tell us of their struggle to improve their livelihood. Enjoy a delicious comida prepared for us by the local women, while experiencing the “real” Mexico, far from the beaten tourist track.

Migration is often the only option for many. As one woman told us, “My children are hungry. I must go to El Norte for work. What would you do?”

Each trip costs 300 pesos, including comida, bilingual translation and transportation. Advance registration is required. Space is limited. For more information or for tickets, call the Center for Global Justice at 150-0025 or buy tickets at Calzada de la Luz 42 (near the corner of Loreto) between 9am and 2pm weekdays.

Walking tours also on Thursday afternoons

Beginning February 15, the Historical Downtown Walking Tour of San Miguel, the proceeds of which benefit Patronatos Pro Niños, will expand its regularly scheduled morning tours to include Thursday afternoon tours in February and March.

Those interested in an afternoon tour should be in the Jardin at 1:45pm across from the Parroquia. The tour departs promptly at 2pm for a two-hour guided excursion through San Miguel’s most illustrious buildings and neighborhoods. The 10-block itinerary covers a mostly level area, and will be led by the same experienced guides who also conduct the Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning offerings.

Reservations are not necessary for either the morning or afternoon sessions

In addition to the regularly scheduled tours, private tours can be arranged for a specific time and date by calling Lily Castañeda Trujillo at the Patronatos por Niños office at 152-7796, or Betse Davies at 154-4353. Contributions for private tours are $750 pesos for a group of one to five people, and $150 pesos per person for more than five people.

For further information about the Patronatos Pro Niños organization, visit the website at www.patronatosproninos.org.

Mujeres en Cambio lunch

Thur, Feb 22, 2 pm

Fernández Ranch, Atotonilco

250 pesos, advance purchase

info 154-6552

www.mujeresencambio.com

February 22 is the date for the Mujeres en Cambio major annual fundraiser for 2007. Once again, we will present a delicious buffet lunch in a rustic setting at the country home of Jaime and Pakina Fernández, near Atotonilco.

Mujeres en Cambio supports young Mexican rural women gain an education and thus foster their self-sufficiency, self-esteem and self-respect. Currently 120 promising young women recommended by their school principals receive scholarships. Annual high school scholarships are approximately US$275. Students who continue on to college receive approximately US$1,000.

We visit every school at least twice a year. Last week, with two other members of our group, I visited six of the schools attended by young women presently supported by scholarships from Mujeres en Cambio. The visits were both uplifting and very sobering. While we have recognized for some time that more frequent contact with our students would be beneficial, these visits drove the point home forcefully.

At the first school we heard that María (not her real name) had stopped attending school. Despite outstanding grades, she had stopped collecting her scholarship money. The principal told us that her father had left for “el Norte” and that her mother had to work in San Miguel and thus was out of the home most of the time. María, lacking a parental presence, took up with a boyfriend and gave up her studies.

For us, every student we lose in this fashion is a double tragedy. First, giving up her education will affect her for the rest of her life. Second, when one of our students drops out, our investment in her future is not fully realized.

At the next school, we were begged by the principal to retain Lupe (name changed).., whose grades had dropped badly. She explained that Lupe’s mother had recently been killed in an accident and that her father was too busy working to pay much attention to the children. Lupe was looking after her brothers, sisters and father at home, while trying to continue her studies.

Lupe’s is not a common story, but neither is it unusual. The three of us undertaking the school visits were deeply saddened at Lupe’s plight and as we bumped along unpaved roads to the next school we talked about how we needed to know more about our students and how important it would be to them if we could be in touch regularly so we could help in crises such as Lupe’s.

As our visits continued, we heard more sad and moving stories. These moments were leavened by the enthusiastic welcome we received from the principals who work under challenging conditions but retain their positive attitude. I will share more of our experiences with you in an article next week.

In the meantime, please join us on February 22 at the Fernández ranch and meet some of our scholarship recipients. In addition to opening her home to us, Pakina will be supplying the main course: chicken with mole, rice, beans and tortillas. Guacamole will be served as an appetizer. As usual, there will be a mouthwatering selection of salads and desserts prepared or supplied by Mujeres en Cambio core members. Tea and coffee will also be provided.

As a special bonus, after the lunch, Jennifer Haas has invited ticket holders to visit her museum of Mexican folk art.

Buses will leave from Calle Cardo, opposite St Paul’s church, at 1:30 pm sharp on February 22.

Access to the buses and entry to the lunch and museum are by advance purchase ONLY. There are only 150 tickets and they always sell out quickly. Remember, no tickets will be sold on the day of the event.

Tickets are on sale at Casa de Papel, Mesones 57A, Re/Max Colonial Real Estate, Portal Guadalupe 12 and Solutions Mail Service, Recreo 11.

For more information visit our website, www.mujeresencambio.com, or call Roger at 154-6552 (note that no reservations can be taken).

CANIRAC food festival

Sat, Feb 10, 1–4pm

Jardín

100 pesos

In recent years, the growth in San Miguel tourism has created a demand for excellent service and good food, thus converting this beautiful and multicultural town into a gourmet paradise. This culinary development has attracted well-known international chefs who have further enhanced San Miguel’s reputation for great food and great ambience. You can find all kinds of restaurants here serving food from Mexico, Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, the Middle East, Uruguay, China, New Orleans and Tex-Mex, among others, in gourmet, fusion or traditional styles.

CANIRAC, the restaurant industry chamber, proudly invites you to our traditional food festival on February 10 from 1pm to 4pm in the Jardín. You’ll be able to taste many different foods from our member restaurants. The cost is 100 pesos for all you can eat.