Peña Blanca is a small rural community 21 kilometers west of central San Miguel de Allende, with a population of 240 residents in 51 homes. Fewer than 6 percent of the homes have piped water, and only 14 percent have toilet or sanitary facilities in the home. The average level of schooling for adult residents is 6 years. Source: 2020 INEGI Census (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática).
For many, their source of income is from the sale of sweets, seeds, nopales, tortillas, or gorditas that are offered in small markets.
In May, Feed the Hungry San Miguel’s newest school kitchen opened in Peña Blanca. Initial health assessments diagnosed 34 percent of the elementary school students with some level of malnutrition.
The children receive breakfast as well as lunch in the new kitchen—a total of 530 meals are served every day.
Our Student Hydration Program provides clean water in large refillable jugs for the children in the classrooms and for food preparation in the school kitchen.
Twelve families are currently enrolled in our Extended Alimentation Program, which provides extra help for entire families that present extreme cases of malnutrition. Feed the Hungry’s nutritionists work closely with the families in the program by providing bags of fresh, healthy food once or twice every month. Home visits are conducted to observe living conditions and provide personalized nutritional consultations.
Every mother and child enrolled in the program is weighed and measured once a month. The chefs and nutritionists use this information to make adjustments to the food ingredients and tailor information for interactive workshops. In May, parents participated in classes Hygiene and Sanitation in Food Preparation, Identification of Food Groups, and Plate of Good Eating (Plato de Buen Comer/a balanced meal on your plate).
And finally, our Early Childhood Nutrition Program provides nutrition for children too young to benefit from the school meals program, as well as their mothers. Sixteen families in Peña Blanca are participating. They receive regular deliveries of fresh, healthy food: cereals, legumes, milk, fruits, and vegetables.
Thanks to our donors, we are able to provide all of these services to the poorest of the poor in Peña Blanca, where the need is great.