Help Feed Hundreds of Hungry People

You, our donors and our volunteers, are the life-line of the Cuenca Soup Kitchen. Without your help, many refugees and Ecuadorians would go hungry.

Their stories:

“I’m starving but I don’t have any money for the bus so how do I feed the children?” Change for Change now makes it possible for this family to get to the food they need. 

“I have angels everywhere,” says Carmen. After fleeing political violence in Venezuela, your donations helped her and her husband feed their child, clothe their family, and access medical care, while they worked to establish their little family in Cuenca. Thanks to you, they have been successful. 

“This food means I can finish high school,” says Karin. She still works selling trash bags on the street but the food means she has time to study so that she can attend university in the future and provide a future for her baby daughter.

On March 12, 2020 the Cuenca Soup Kitchen, like much of the world, was closed down due to COVID. This left the population we serve even more vulnerable. Those who previously had few resources now found themselves with none.

Those who begged in the streets, those who walked here from Venezuela in search of a better life, and the Ecuadorian working poor were all in danger of starvation.

No one was spared in this crisis and in a developing country, the numbers are staggering. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, we served hot meals every weekday and provided access to clothing and other basic items for migrant families and Venezuelan refugees. However, the social distancing requirements of the pandemic has deepened this challenge.

In order to serve as many as possible, the Cuenca Soup Kitchen has partnered with other organizations and uses existing infrastructures to expand our ability to provide food kits for families in and around Cuenca, Ecuador. The families include Ecuadorians and Venezuelans. All are at risk and many have multiple vulnerabilities including disabilities and health concerns. Some are children without familial support.

Currently:

We partner with Foundations, organizations, and businesses: Hearts of Gold, Nur, Cetap-Lucy, El Arenal, Osso, Tomebamba Rotary, Kolo

Your donations and our partnerships have allowed us to almost quadruple the number of people we serve 

Your response to the massive Chunchi landslide helped an entire village get back on its fee

You provided the resources to deliver thousands of seedlings to those with the ability to grow their own food

You supported the Pig Project which provided thousands of pounds of high quality protein to hungry families 

Your gifts and donations have made it possible for us to reestablish the clothing program and household goods program, the diaper program, and to establish Change for Change - these funds go towards transportation for outlying families so that they can access the food they so desperately need

The future holds continued challenges:

Ecuador’s vaccination program is not as robust as in many countries, making the continued economic and social impacts a reality for the foreseeable future

Fundraising is directly impacted by the economic and social realities of the COVID crisis - as the need grows, the resources shrink

COVID-19 has not changed our mission, only our method. The Cuenca Soup Kitchen is dedicated to keeping families alive and together. Our goal is to provide a bridge that will connect as many families as possible to a more stable future and with your continued help, we can do that.

This year Bob Higgins, the founder of the Cuenca Soup Kitchen, moved to Paute and turned over the operation to three long-term volunteers: Des Dizney, Bill O’Brien, and Smith. Our plan was to continue the soup kitchen’s mission in 2020.  

On March 12th that all changed. Ecuador went into a strict lockdown due to COVID 19. This meant that we could no longer serve meals to those in need.

Since the people could not come to us to be fed, we had to get the food to the people. Our partnership with Hearts of Gold has created and maintained a system that:

• expanded to serve Ecuadorians and well as immigrants 
• distributes food to our more distant families and provides a pick up point for those who are able to get to us
• vets the needs of each family and foundation, transitioning them out when they become stable
• negotiates discounted deals with our vendors thereby extending our purchasing power
• provides clothing and other donated items 
• enters into new projects as opportunities arise such as the “Pig Project” that provided tons of protein to those we regularly assist as well as many others

The number of families to whom we provide food has grown to 120 (approximately 600 people). This is three times as many people as we were able to help with the old model and we do so for slightly less cost. This is a huge impact.

March 12th also changed our financial picture. The uncertainty in the world impacted our donors as well. For some it meant they needed to reduce or stop their donations. 

It is clear that this need will continue for the foreseeable future and that the Cuenca Soup Kitchen, in partnership with Hearts of Gold and our wonderful volunteers, will continue to serve as long as the need is there and funding allows. We depend on continued donations to enable us to do just that.