Give Milk to Mothers Project Paco Arjona - SETAC-GLBT
March 29, 2012

There is no greater joy for a young woman than to have a healthy, happy baby - especially for an HIV-positive mother. The new child is a sign of life... a child of promise in a broken world.
 
However, there is no greater tragedy than a new mother unable to feed her child because her breast milk could pass on the virus that causes AIDS.

The Give Milk to Mothers Project helps meet this critical need.
 
Your donation through the Give Milk to Mothers Project means a new mother struggling with her own declining health can safely feed her newborn child. Your donation helps purchase the most critically needed item - powdered infant formula - for babies of HIV-positive mothers right here in Puerto Vallarta.

The formula is prohibitively expensive for these families. With your donation, the project hopes to collect at least 500 cans of powdered formula during the campaign.

With your help, the SETAC Community Center will enable a young mother's greatest joy to continue. Her child will grow to be healthy and happy... a child of promise.
 
"We think The Give Milk to Mothers Project is a great cause," Ed Thomas, founder of the GLBT center, stated. "I think it definitely benefits our community by raising awareness. It's important for people to understand the AIDS crisis continues and affects people right here in Puerto Vallarta. Our goal is to build a free community, safe, friendly, full of love and acceptance for anyone who comes through our doors."
 
What a chance to make a difference! It's exciting to get different businesses from a cross section of venues within the community to come together for the same goal. Each and every interested person in our community is asked to purchase a specific brand of powdered formula from the recommended list. Once purchased, the milk can be dropped off at any one of the participating businesses.
 
Visit any of the approved locations listed below to purchase the needed formula:

Farmacia Guadalajara's Prices
Nan Milk - Stage 1 - 900 gr - 214.20
Nan Milk - Stage 2 - 900 gr - 190
Enfagrow - Stage 1 - 900 gr - 348.70
Enfagrow - Stage 2 - 900 gr - 312.40

Costco's Prices
Nan Milk - Stage 1 - 900 gr (2 cans) - 345
Nan Milk - Stage 2 - 900 gr (2 cans) - 305
Enfagrow - Stage 3 - 900 gr (2 cans) - 389

WalMart's Prices
Nan Milk - Stage 1 - 400 gr - 98
Nan Milk - Stage 1 - 900 gr - 188
Nan Milk - Stage 2 - 400 gr - 88
Nan Milk - Stage 2 - 900 gr - 168
Enfagrow - Stage 3 - 400 gr - 153
Enfagrow - Stage 3 - 900 gr - 307
Enfagrow - Stage 3 - 1200 gr - 361

SETAC has set up the following local businesses as drop-off locations:
 
• SETAC Centro Comunitario
Constitución #427
Colonia Emiliano Zapata
(322) 224-1974

• A Page In The Sun
Lázaro Cárdenas #179
Colonia Emiliano Zapata
(322) 222-3608

• El Sofa Café
Venustiano Carranza #333
Colonia Emiliano Zapata
(322) 223-8446

• Pet Home
Constitución #287
Colonia Emiliano Zapata
(322) 113-0314

• The Studio Tattoos
Constitución #347
Colonia Emiliano Zapata
(322) 222-0053

• R.K. Supplement
Hotel Emperador
Amapas #114A
Colonia Emiliano Zapata
Cell: (322) 146-2435

• Hotel Mercurio
Francisca Rodríguez #168
Colonia Emiliano Zapata
(322) 222-4793

With continued efforts such as the Give Milk to Mothers Project, The SETAC Community Center offers the GLBT community, their families and friends a variety of services meant to improve their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Creating a network between members of the GLBT and non-GLBT community allows opportunities for members to experience, learn and participate in the mutual development of our common community.

All interested persons can also come out to La Noche Martini Lounge on Saturday, March 31, from 10:00 pm to 12:30 am, for the official kick-off to this campaign and enjoy a night of friendship and fun, while helping to raise funds to supply milk for the babies of mothers living with HIV. This campaign will run throughout the month of April.

In addition to the Give Milk Project, SETAC offers a variety of daily services. For example, the Center holds AA meetings, Spanish classes, HIV testing and counseling, Reiki, Quiropráctico. Condoms are always available by simply asking. There is a nutritionist on site Friday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, and movies are shown every Friday night at 7:30 pm. ALL ARE WELCOME.

The following are only a few of the things SETAC Center accomplished over the last year to support the local community:

• Because SETAC offers walk-in HIV & Syphilis rapid testing, they administered 800 HIV Rapid Tests, 235 Syphilis Tests, and distributed 60,000 condoms.

• SETAC participated as the only drop site south of the stadium for the Por un Mexico Sin Hambre National Food Drive on September 15, 2011.

• In collaboration with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, COMUSIDA, SSJ and Ayuntamiento de Puerto Vallarta, SETAC provided information about HIV and distributed condoms at several of the events at the Pan Am Games in Puerto Vallarta.

• On October 24, 2011, SETAC sponsored the First Annual Breast Cancer Social Event at the Abbey Hotel, and donated all proceeds to Grupo Esperanza, an organization that supports Survivors of Breast Cancer and helps women who can't afford Mammograms get them.

• Again this year SETAC sponsored the 2011 Christmas Posada at CAPASITS Clinic (HIV clinic) for families affected by HIV that included a Toy Drive for the children. They were also a drop off center for The Children of the Dump Shoe Drive.

The purpose of the Puerto Vallarta Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Community Center, located at Constitucion #427 on the corner of Manuel Dieguez, is to provide essential services to the GLBT community, including support in recovery from alcoholism and other afflictions, physical and mental health treatment and referrals, education and recreation in an atmosphere of safety, free from discrimination. For more information, contact (322) 224-1974 or contacto@setac.com.mx.