Sayulita Life’s recipient of our monthly donation for May is the “Sayulita Cares” / “Sayulita Cuida” Group. Sayulita Cares is a group originally created by a local Sayulita resident, that has now joined together with a variety of volunteers, as well as the Gavilanes Vigilantes, to help members of our Sayulita and San Ignacio community remain healthy and safe during this challenging economic time, due to loss of jobs from closures related to Covid-19. Sayulita Life’s $6,000 donation went toward the group’s efforts in getting items and supplies for their food bank delivery program, which has been assisting those in need in our community.
Sayulita Cares has chosen to purchase food & supplies with money that has been donated, and assemble the purchased items into packs in order to ensure that all packages are equitable and safe. All items have been purchased at the best cost that the group could get, in order to allow the group to sustain their program. In addition to food, donated funds have also been used to purchase medication for those in need. The group has made extra effort to ensure that all medications are reviewed and approved by a team of physicians before being purchased or distributed. Furthermore, the group has taken preventative safety measures upon delivering the packs, by wearing protective face masks, gloves, and cleaning / sanitizing all products to keep their volunteers and recipients safe as they pack or deliver food.
To date, the Sayulita Cares food bank and delivery system has already delivered all 800 packs they initially purchased, and they will continue to work to deliver more. Each of the initial food packs contained the following items:
- Rice
- Beans
- Flour
- Cooking oil
- Canned tuna
- Canned tomatoes
- Animal food (if needed/asked for)
- Disinfectant
The next round of packs will change slightly in response to feedback from recipients / specific case needs, and because some items, such as disinfectants, are not needed in each delivery. The Gavilanes Vigilantes also completed a needs assessment of both Sayulita & San Ignacio, and will be distributing based on that assessment.
Anyone interested in helping with this initiative can donate at this online donation platform:
- For US dollar donations: FLIPCAUSE Niños del Sol: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/Nzg1OTQ=-If you experience difficulty when using your CDN Credit Card at this site, simply email Niki Bhattacharya at: nikibhattacharya@gmail.com and she will process your donation over the phone while speaking with you.
We thank Sayulita Cares for their efforts and are incredibly proud of the ways they are coming together to take care of our community during this challenging and unprecedented time.
*Since its founding in 2004, SayulitaLife.com has been dedicated to giving back to the community of Sayulita. In our 15th year as a company, Sayulita Life has created the “Giving Fund”, where we have pledged to donate $5,000 pesos EVERY MONTH to a local charity or cause. Read more at https://www.sayulitalife.com/giving-back.
Written by: Aanya Sheikh-Taheri