Living at Lake Chapala in Mexico

It seems like every hour brings more stories of how wonderful people are helping those with such need in San Juan Cosala and in the Raquet Club.

Pedro's group
Today Pedro of Pedro's Gourmet is heading up a group of folks who are working to verify that all residents of the Raquet are safe, and have what they need. We'll have a first hand report from them tonight or in the morning.

The Calendar
The nice folks at Cafe Q and an email group called the Amigas are planning to produce a calendar of photos of how folks are working together to over come these problems. The profits from the calendars will help pay for more help.

Orphanage
That group of folks who is laundering the clothing and few other items owned by the children of the Ninos and Jovenes orphanage in San Juan are now sending out appeals for new tennis shoes (any size--someone can wear them) and mattresses for when the kids can return from the shelter to their home. They also suggest books, toys, school supplies for these kids who have just lost everything in their world--again.

We can't report the good news too often, ALL of the 139 children are safe and in a shelter in Jocotepec.

Super Lake Helps Again and Again
When I was in Super Lake yesterday, Manager Pancho was beaming when he told me of his trip to the wholesale abastos market in Guadalajara yesterday (Friday) morning. He said that as he made his appointed rounds each of the vendors asked about Chapala--How were the people making it through the disaster?

Pancho showed me the very typical Mexican gesture he used (right hand, palm up, curling fingers toward the palm) as he said to each of the salesmen, "Give me something for them. Give me all you can."

Pancho came back with the company truck stuffed to the tarps. He headed directly to San Juan to deliver the following and more:
5 boxes of papaya
5 boxes of green peppers
5 boxes of zuchini
5 boxes of bananas
5 boxes of lettuce
5 bags of potatoes
5 bags of onions
Milk (in quantity)
Rice (in quantity)
Beans (in quantity)
and there was more--that's all I remembered.

In fact he had such a large quantity of food that when he stopped at the church and at the other cooking distribution point, they didn't have room to unload it all. Next Pancho stopped at the San Juan restaurant where the folks are cooking for the homeless--I think he said it's called Viva Mexico--and they took one look and said, "Wow, so much. Wait a minute, we'll MAKE room."

Tell Pancho thanks next time you are in the store--oh and you should know that this was on top of the bread and ham and milk and fruit and other foods he had delivered from the store on Both Wednesday and Thursday.

Like so many other business owners, the folks at Super Lake are always there when the need is great and the cause Mexican.

A Related Upcoming Article:

Note: You may be interested to read the article about Super Lake in the upcoming October issue of Living at Lake Chapala. In interviews Pancho is describing to us the full requirements and systems they must use in order to import US groceries for sale in Mexico.

We're breaking down the costs of labeling each can and box, the duty and taxes that are paid and the cost of the Mexican embargos on meat, fish, sugar and other items. This article will be an eye-opener about what is required to legally import goods into Mexico.

Where is Nafta you may ask? Seems to us that Nafta has done a lot for companies like Smuckers and Kelloggs and General Mills, but very little for small companies like Super Lake and ordinary consumers like us.

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Judy King is publisher of  Mexico Insights' Living at Lake Chapala, a monthly online magazine for people interested in Mexico's Lake Chapala region, in the state of Jalisco.

Judy, a 16-year resident of Ajijic on Lake Chapala's north shore, conducts weekly newcomer's seminars, shares her expertise about Mexico in her monthly online magazine, and in the "Mexico Lindo" column for the Lake Chapala Review.

Judy also is a speaker for local organizations and visiting tour groups about the Lakeside area and Mexican customs and holidays.