News, Needs and Wish List from Banderas Bay Women's Shelter David Zude - Banderas Bay Womens Shelter
January 21, 2016

Fact of the Month

Happy New Years to all!

Please, we cannot continue to function without your support.

Just $20/month can make all the difference.

The Banderas Bay Women's Shelter needs your help! Please don't depend on others to help out, we need you! The shelter exists exclusively through private donations, board member donations and fund raising events. No assistance is received from the Mexican or U.S. Government.

Currently, it costs the shelter approximately $5,000 U.S. per month to pay for food, medical care, education, legal assistance, psychological and social worker services, security among other expenses. You don't have to give a lot to help out. You and 249 other people donating just $20 per month is all it takes. Please consider helping out. An automatic donation can be set up through Paypal on our website,

What's happening

Christmas time is traditionally the time for giving. This Christmas season we were blessed by many giving people and organizations. I hope that I didn't forget anyone.

Thank you to Sandi and Randy Nystrom for the Christmas gifts. We also thank Sandi and Randy, along with the John Ozzello Memorial Food Bank for the blessing of their giving throughout 2015.

The women and children of the shelter performed a Christmas play for the Estrogen Cartel on the 17th. The Cartel brought many gifts and donations for the shelter. They also provided a great lunch that included pozole and cake! Thank you so much to our long time friends: Freda, Pat, Julie, Moe, Francine and Vicki.

On the 22nd the women and children had another opportunity to perform the Christmas play for a group of about 20 invited guests from the Mexican and ex patriot communities. Thank you to everyone who came to visit.

The Nuevo Vallarta Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi blessed the women and children with many gifts and donations for the shelter. Thank you Martha and all of the ladies of the chapter that we have yet to meet.

The Canadian Consulate in Puerto Vallarta was so kind to donate gift baskets for the shelter. A big thanks to Adam and the staff at the consulate.

The Secretary of Health donated many food items to the shelter. Thank you to Cristi, Anna, Sonya and Carmina.

The Women's Institute also provided a generous donation of necessary items for the shelter. Thank you Noemi!

Thank you to our friends Sandi Barkwell, Patricia and Mike Battistel, Bara DeMarino and Debbi Brolin Egan for their gifts and donations.

The American Legion 14, Puerto Vallarta and His Will, His Way Ministry blessed the children with a new yard and sandbox! Thank you so much guys!!

Education Sponsors Needed

75% of the  population of a shelter are children. While in the shelter they need to continue in their education. The cost for this education is paid for by the shelter. It is imperative that children continue with their studies once the family leaves the shelter. Most of the women will need financial assistance to help cover the costs of the education of their children. These costs include, but are not limited to uniforms, educational materials and transportation. Many, many children only complete a partial primary level education due to lack of funds. For only $10 per month you can sponsor a child's education. Please, please help consider helping out.

Food Sponsors Needed

The shelter has many monthly expenses. By far the greatest expense is providing for the nutritional needs of the women and children. Thanks to the monthly donation of food basics from the John Ozzello   Memorial Food Bank these cost are lessened a bit; nevertheless we still spend approximately $1,300 U.S. every month.

Healthcare Sponsors Needed

Thanks to the giving hearts of our friends Will and Kathy a good share of the costs of medical care are now covered. There is still an opportunity to help out with these costs. Most women and children arrive at the shelter with parasites, medical issues and malnutrition. Of course every cold or flu case is quickly shared among all of the children. Medications and medical expenses are currently running between $200 and $250 every month.

Legal Sponsors Needed

A very important part of what the shelter provides is legal assistance to the women in the shelter. Women who come to the shelter are victims of “extreme violence,” they have suffered violence for years and are at risk of losing their lives. It is imperative that these women and their children are protected from their abusers. As a result we must assist them in filing legal charges, request legal custody of their children, file restraining orders and fight for child support.

Upcoming events

Planning for the annual “What a Drag”  fundraiser has begun.Check our the latest news on Facebook.
 
Website

Our website, www.compassionforthefamilymx.org has been updated and is now available in Spanish and English. Please check it out.

Needs

New baby stuff. Car seat, stroller, rocking chair, everything.

The shelter is in need of children's clothing and shoes. There is also a need for more women's shoes.

Please consider a cash donation to the shelter.

Donations can be made through Paypal on the website, by sending a check to Compassion for the Family, 115 13th Street SE, Altoona, IA 50009 or by writing compassionforthefamily@yahoo.com.mx. Donations received from U.S. or Mexican citizens are tax deductible.
 
Thanks to PDI Companies for their continued support. You can visit their official site at PDI Companies.

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