Caye Caulker Baby Pantry
Donation protected
Covid 19, the worldwide pandemic, has hit the tiny Caribbean island of Caye Caulker especially hard. Our population, which consists of less than 2,000 souls, relies heavily on tourism. Hoteliers, restaurant owners, and tour operators have lost their livelihoods in the blink of an eye.
Why do we do what we do
The current situation is devastating for most on Caye Caulker, but unbelievably difficult for those families with small children. Formula, diapers, wipes, and medications are prohibitively expensive. Babies are going without.
Adding to the stress of staying home in close quarters, the brutal heat, the inability to make rent or monthly bills, is the worry for our almost 200 new moms. How can they care for their precious little ones properly without the basics that they so desperately need? No mother should be in that position.
Plan of action
To help the mothers and babies on the island, we’re distributing care packages for moms & infants up to three years old. These packages contain diapers, baby wipes, soap, baby food, baby powder…whatever a mom needs to take good care for her baby. The packages will be customized to meet the mother’s needs, based on the age of her baby, whether she is breastfeeding or using formula, etc.
Up til now, we’ve been able to distribute packages on two occasions, on the 18th of April and on the 2nd of May. We’re very thankful for all the generous donors that have supported us so far. But because of the extremely high cost of baby products, we NEED to raise more funds.
From messages we have received, we know that at least 100 moms on Caye Caulker are directly in need assistance. Our goal is to provide these moms with a weekly care package that will cost 50 BZD (25 USD) on average. This means that we will need 5000 BZD (2500 USD) a week to run our program. For now, we are raising funds for the next 8 weeks (2 months) which brings our goal amount to 20,000 USD.
After one month we will review the situation, and because tourism will not return any time soon to Caye Caulker, it is very likely that we need to sustain the program beyond these two months.
We’ve also been contacted by several expecting mothers who are already worried before their baby is even born. We’d love to give them some peace of mind by telling them we can give them a weekly care package, but in order to do so we need your help.
Who are we?
My name is Jessica Marin. I was born and raised on Caye Caulker and feel fortunate I can call this little island my home. Together with my husband and with support of Pamela Lang, we’re running the Caye
Caulker Baby Pantry. As a mother of 3, I know that baby items are a huge expense and I believe no mother should have to worry about providing for her child.
The idea of the baby pantry started when my sister had an incident with a grandmother who couldn’t find any diapers for her grandbaby. After she mentioned this to me, and both of us being mothers, we knew that something needed to be done for other mothers & babies on Caye Caulker.
After we shared the idea of a baby pantry with others, we slowly began receiving donations. However, we also started getting more and more messages from moms who are struggling. In order to help them get through this difficult time, we started this GoFundMe with the support of Pamela Lang.
Transparency
Transparency is very important. All incoming donations, both financial and In-Kind, are being documented. We’re also keeping track of all our spending, are keeping copies of all receipts and maintain a list of moms who have received care packages. These documents can be viewed by the public upon request.
GoFundMe does not allow funds to be transferred to Belize directly, so they are received in the United States by Pamela Lang and subsequently transferred to Belize. The dates and costs associated with this transaction process are also being documented.
We'll be placing updates on our Facebookpage.
How can you help?
If you have ever visited Belize or have wanted to, especially Caye Caulker, the crown jewel of Belize, please, please… this is important. Look into your heart and donate whatever you can. The babies need you. Their families need relief. Donate whatever you can! ❤️
Why do we do what we do
The current situation is devastating for most on Caye Caulker, but unbelievably difficult for those families with small children. Formula, diapers, wipes, and medications are prohibitively expensive. Babies are going without.
Adding to the stress of staying home in close quarters, the brutal heat, the inability to make rent or monthly bills, is the worry for our almost 200 new moms. How can they care for their precious little ones properly without the basics that they so desperately need? No mother should be in that position.
Plan of action
To help the mothers and babies on the island, we’re distributing care packages for moms & infants up to three years old. These packages contain diapers, baby wipes, soap, baby food, baby powder…whatever a mom needs to take good care for her baby. The packages will be customized to meet the mother’s needs, based on the age of her baby, whether she is breastfeeding or using formula, etc.
Up til now, we’ve been able to distribute packages on two occasions, on the 18th of April and on the 2nd of May. We’re very thankful for all the generous donors that have supported us so far. But because of the extremely high cost of baby products, we NEED to raise more funds.
From messages we have received, we know that at least 100 moms on Caye Caulker are directly in need assistance. Our goal is to provide these moms with a weekly care package that will cost 50 BZD (25 USD) on average. This means that we will need 5000 BZD (2500 USD) a week to run our program. For now, we are raising funds for the next 8 weeks (2 months) which brings our goal amount to 20,000 USD.
After one month we will review the situation, and because tourism will not return any time soon to Caye Caulker, it is very likely that we need to sustain the program beyond these two months.
We’ve also been contacted by several expecting mothers who are already worried before their baby is even born. We’d love to give them some peace of mind by telling them we can give them a weekly care package, but in order to do so we need your help.
Who are we?
My name is Jessica Marin. I was born and raised on Caye Caulker and feel fortunate I can call this little island my home. Together with my husband and with support of Pamela Lang, we’re running the Caye
Caulker Baby Pantry. As a mother of 3, I know that baby items are a huge expense and I believe no mother should have to worry about providing for her child.
The idea of the baby pantry started when my sister had an incident with a grandmother who couldn’t find any diapers for her grandbaby. After she mentioned this to me, and both of us being mothers, we knew that something needed to be done for other mothers & babies on Caye Caulker.
After we shared the idea of a baby pantry with others, we slowly began receiving donations. However, we also started getting more and more messages from moms who are struggling. In order to help them get through this difficult time, we started this GoFundMe with the support of Pamela Lang.
Transparency
Transparency is very important. All incoming donations, both financial and In-Kind, are being documented. We’re also keeping track of all our spending, are keeping copies of all receipts and maintain a list of moms who have received care packages. These documents can be viewed by the public upon request.
GoFundMe does not allow funds to be transferred to Belize directly, so they are received in the United States by Pamela Lang and subsequently transferred to Belize. The dates and costs associated with this transaction process are also being documented.
We'll be placing updates on our Facebookpage.
How can you help?
If you have ever visited Belize or have wanted to, especially Caye Caulker, the crown jewel of Belize, please, please… this is important. Look into your heart and donate whatever you can. The babies need you. Their families need relief. Donate whatever you can! ❤️
Organizer
Pamela Lang
Organizer
