Our programs

Lunch Plate Program: Plata de dia

Children living in poverty receive a hot, nutritious meal at La Viña Community Center in Montellano, and at two other mobile sites in the neighboring villages of Pancho Mateo and El Saman.

A typical meal, plata de dia, includes rice and beans, vegetable, and a protein, such as fish or chicken. We also have pure drinking water available to the kids who come from the surrounding community for lunch.

The Lunch Plate Program currently serves almost 500 children each weekday.  In addition, some elderly and disabled folks are served lunches as well.

Community Gardens: From farm to table

Gardens at Las Ciruelas and Maimon Farmlands are nurtured and cultivated year-round to bring fresh produce to the table. Crops supplement the Lunch Plate Program with vegetables, including yucca, batata, pumpkin, cabbage and more.

Be sure to view these beautiful gardens in photos on the community gardens section.  A picture is worth a thousand words!

Our Youth mentoring program provides an opportunity for young people to learn about gardening and farming, while at the same time, giving back to the community.

Child Sponsorship:  Helping kids thrive!

For children (kindergarten through 8th grade) who are orphaned or are identified as very vulnerable, The Whole Child Sponsorship program can be a life line.  Each child has an individual plan for  care and education and may include advocacy, counseling, family support, housing, nutritional supplementation and medical care.

To learn more about this unique program, visit The Whole Child care program page.   After reading about it, you may want to

learn how to  sponsor a child on our waiting list.

Widow & Elder Care Program: Outreach to vulnerable seniors

Without social services, and past the age of employment, the elderly can struggle to maintain health and nutrition. We are reaching out to those who are elderly and/or disabled with food (meals or groceries depending on the particular situation) and other interventions as needed.

Meet a few of our favorite seniors, on the widow and elder care page.