Everybody who’s ever enjoyed the magical quality of our beloved Zihua, and knows and understands it’s the locals who create that magic, please consider donating. These humble people are still in the very early stages of this pandemic. There is a long and arduous road ahead. I cannot even imagine being on that road and having to worry about food for my family. We board members (and readers) have the power to do something about that.

Thank you Libby Holden for matching our donation!

With unemployment surging well above 50% in our empty tourist destination, Carol sent an email to our Sailfest volunteers and donors explaining the need for food assistance. Within 24 hours, $250,000 pesos had been donated to Carol's Por Los Ninos Beans & Rice program. A very generous anonymous donor provided a matching grant. The $500,000 pesos will provide modest food baskets for the families of our 400+ poorest students for about 8 weeks. Alas, unemployment and hunger is likely to continue into the new tourist season in November. The need for nutrition will continue.

This unexpectedly compassionate response has deeply touched my heart.

Carol is coordinating our efforts with the mayor, school directors and the neighborhood committees that have formed to identify the families most in need. Mexican volunteers are handling distribution. As they say, "It takes a village". I'm very proud of ours - and of Carol, who has become a hero in our community.

Libby Holden, a Zihua vacationer, has been inspired to offer an additional matching grant of $5,000 dollars. Should you be inspired to help her feed our bright-eyed young scholars and their impoverished families, you may donate via www.porlosninos.com. Remember, it is a matching grant, your donation will be doubled.

Be safe. Be kind.

We are very concerned for the workers who may be laid off off or furloughed from hotels, restaurants etc. Of course some of them may have partners who still have income, but are there food distributions etc. for those people? A friend told me that near their home in the Jalisco State the Rotary club has organized food distributions for those in dire straits. Is there such an effort in the Zihuatanejo area or does there need to be? We are donating to food banks in our city in the US, where restaurants and hotels are closed, but we would like to to so in Zihuatanejo too, if there was a legitimate organization to donate to.

Please see the info I posted the other day for Carol’s Rice & Beans program

Aguantando Zih Cuarentena

I imagine food and abject poverty will increase substantialy as long as remittance payments are down from the USA.

Remittance from Mexicans working in the USA is a larger part of the GDP than oil or tourism sectors. In fact, Remittances from the USA is Mexico's largest sector in GDP surpassing oil in 2017.

Until the USA is allowed to open, Mexico will feel the pain.

Maybe in the Sierra of Guerrero and in Michoacán remittances are being missed, but they've never been a significant or noteworthy part of our local economy.

Some small businesses are getting low-interest credits and loans. The elderly and the NINIs are getting some government benefits. The service sector, small businesses and their employees are taking the biggest hit. One odd thing the local government did was to distribute food to the fishermen instead of people who don't catch their own food for a living. Some fishermen are actually giving their catch to needy people in the colonias.

Remittance from Mexicans working in the USA is a larger part of the GDP than oil or tourism sectors. In fact, Remittances from the USA is Mexico's largest sector in GDP surpassing oil in 2017.

Until the USA is allowed to open, Mexico will feel the pain.