I often say it takes many drops of water to fill a bucket. My story today – about how different people in a couple of countries came together to help fill a need for the Holy Cross feeding program – illustrates just that.
Preparing and serving breakfast, a fruit snack and lunch everyday for 500 kids is no small feat; even the busiest restaurant in town does not serve that many people on a daily basis. While the school did have a couple of good stoves, the amount of food being cooked definitely warranted something more industrial, as the regular stoves could not properly handle the work load.
Enter Tony and Ginger Rogers of Texas, a couple who volunteered at Holy Cross this past summer. Ginger was helping with literacy and remedial reading while Tony assisted with building. During their stay, they asked the school what was needed most and were told a heavy duty stove. They went back home to Texas and and set the wheels in motion to raise the money needed to buy a quality stove of the kind most restaurants possess.
After raising the funds, Ginger and Tony were able to get the stove to Amarillo, Texas to Pastor Tim Tam from the Word at Work Ministry. Transportation from Texas to San Pedro was generously provided by Belize Natural Energy Trust (BNET), headquartered in Belmopan. Last but not least, Sterling Vorus of Island Ferry stepped up and volunteered to get the stove from Belize City to San Pedro.
This was definitely an event to capture for the school blog. I decided
to ask my friend Mitch to come along to check out Holy Cross School, and catch the ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the new stove which was followed by lunch prepared by Chef Victor Nal of Sunset Grill. Among the people who came out to celebrate were Sterling Voris of Island Ferry, officials Sylvia Baumgart Laasner and Deborah Sewell from BNET, representatives from local papers and of course, school staff. Mitch told me afterward she was glad she went and got to see firsthand what the school was like, not to mention hear the stove story. She was also able to taste something cooked on the new stove by Chef Victor – Belize’s 2009 Chef of the Year and a frequent volunteer with the feeding program – and Miss Rosalia, head kitchen staff.
So you can see that all of these people were the drops of water that helped fill the bucket to get a much needed industrial stove for the school. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving – the kids will continue to benefit from the feeding program and get served two meals a day and a mid-morning snack, keeping their bellies full.
Latest posts by tacogirl
- Need Some Cash? 10 Ways to Fundraise - October 1st, 2009
- Belize Volunteer Opportunities - September 23rd, 2009
- Volunteer Vacation - September 11th, 2009
- Wing It - September 3rd, 2009
- Building up a Community - August 27th, 2009
- Little Differences - August 24th, 2009
- Introducing San Pedro town, Belize - August 13th, 2009
- Island Life - August 6th, 2009
