Hands of Love - Caye Caulker Food Drive
Donation protected
Caye Caulker is an island 22 miles off the Coast of Belize with approximately 2000 inhabitants. Originally a small fishing settlement, now a lively and eclectic island that in normal times hosts thousands of tourists to experience the “Go Slow” vibe of this Caribbean paradise.
What the problem is
Caye Caulker relies heavily on tourism. With tourism having vanished completely due to the Covid19 pandemic, and people needing to stay home, most islanders have lost their jobs and income, some of them already living day by day. Result: There are those that are going hungry on the island.
No one should go hungry. No one should have to worry about feeding their children, we simply cannot let this happen.
If you have been to Caye Caulker and have fallen in love with it, if you were maybe planning to visit in coming years, if you have friends or family who live here, or if you just simply have a generous heart.. We ask you please to support our Food Drive. The need is very high.
Who we are
We are Hands of Love. A collaboration between:
- The Lazy Lizard
- Il Pellicano Restaurant
- Delivery service by the Caye Caulker Police Station
In previous weeks, we have slowly started to provide meals and meal packages to those in need. Both the Lazy Lizard and Il Pellicano have provided approximately 50-60 meals per day, as well as food care packages to families. Meals were graciously delivered by the Caye Caulker Police team and prepared by volunteers.
Between these two food programs, we want to make sure no one on Caye Caulker goes hungry.
What we are doing
Whoever is in need can sign up for one of the programs. What started as 27 families and 60-70 meals quickly grew to 67 families and around 200 people. While we were expecting this number to keep growing over the next couple of weeks, it has grown far faster and higher than we expected. While our goal was originally to be able to provide 400 people with a simple but nutritious meal 7 days a week, we are now feeding 180 families for a total of 600 meals a day or 4200 a week! Most of the meals are prepared by volunteers, with all social distancing and sanitation procedures being strictly followed.
Our goal is to provide meals to those in need for 3 months. If we raise more than our goal, great! We can prolong the program and/or feed more mouths, because tourism is not expected to return to the island anytime soon.
UPDATE: We originally set our goal based on feeding 400 people for 2.75 BZD (1.38 USD) per meal, which costs 550 USD per day, or 49,500 USD for 3 months. Now that we are feeding 650 people, it will require 74,500 USD to sustain the program for 3 mos so we have raised our goal in order to feed everyone in need; at our original goal of 49,500 USD we will only be able to sustain the program for 2 months. We are working to reduce the costs and make the program more efficient in order to feed as many people for as long as possible.
Transparency
Yes, transparency is very important. We will continue to provide updates on the amount of people fed with the amount of funds received, transfers made, etc. on our Facebook Page. Upon request, all financial documents can be viewed by anyone.
In accordance with everyone involved, this GoFundMe campaign is organized by Dan Dykgraaf. GoFundMe does not support transferring funds directly to Belize. Thus, all the funds received by Dan in the United States will be wired to an Atlantic Bank account on Caye Caulker set up solely for the Hands of Love Food Drive. This account is managed by James Lynskey (representing the Lazy Lizard).
All funds (minus GoFundMe fees and transaction costs) wil go to:
- Costs of food ingredients
- Direct expenses (propane, gas, barge fees,etc)
Meals are mainly prepared by volunteers. If funds allow, we will do our best to hire a small local staff for a minimum wage, to stimulate employment on the island.
All costs included, our goal is to provide meals at 2.75 BZ (1.38 USD) per meal. Both food programs (Lazy Lizard & Il Pellicano) will invoice the Hands of Love account for their expenses, trying their very best not to exceed the maximum of 2.75 BZ per meal and showing a list of meals provided.
Here’s how you can help
Donate, share, spread the word! If you are on CC and would like to donate takeout containers, your cooking skills, propane tanks or anything else, contact us.
What if we would raise more than our goal
That would be fantastic! After the threat of Covid-19 subsides, the economic consequences will be felt on Caye Caulker for a long time. It will most likely take a while for tourists to reappear. Additional funds will allow us to prolong our program, feed more people or offer financial aid to those in need in other ways. We’ll offer 100% transparency.
What the problem is
Caye Caulker relies heavily on tourism. With tourism having vanished completely due to the Covid19 pandemic, and people needing to stay home, most islanders have lost their jobs and income, some of them already living day by day. Result: There are those that are going hungry on the island.
No one should go hungry. No one should have to worry about feeding their children, we simply cannot let this happen.
If you have been to Caye Caulker and have fallen in love with it, if you were maybe planning to visit in coming years, if you have friends or family who live here, or if you just simply have a generous heart.. We ask you please to support our Food Drive. The need is very high.
Who we are
We are Hands of Love. A collaboration between:
- The Lazy Lizard
- Il Pellicano Restaurant
- Delivery service by the Caye Caulker Police Station
In previous weeks, we have slowly started to provide meals and meal packages to those in need. Both the Lazy Lizard and Il Pellicano have provided approximately 50-60 meals per day, as well as food care packages to families. Meals were graciously delivered by the Caye Caulker Police team and prepared by volunteers.
Between these two food programs, we want to make sure no one on Caye Caulker goes hungry.
What we are doing
Whoever is in need can sign up for one of the programs. What started as 27 families and 60-70 meals quickly grew to 67 families and around 200 people. While we were expecting this number to keep growing over the next couple of weeks, it has grown far faster and higher than we expected. While our goal was originally to be able to provide 400 people with a simple but nutritious meal 7 days a week, we are now feeding 180 families for a total of 600 meals a day or 4200 a week! Most of the meals are prepared by volunteers, with all social distancing and sanitation procedures being strictly followed.
Our goal is to provide meals to those in need for 3 months. If we raise more than our goal, great! We can prolong the program and/or feed more mouths, because tourism is not expected to return to the island anytime soon.
UPDATE: We originally set our goal based on feeding 400 people for 2.75 BZD (1.38 USD) per meal, which costs 550 USD per day, or 49,500 USD for 3 months. Now that we are feeding 650 people, it will require 74,500 USD to sustain the program for 3 mos so we have raised our goal in order to feed everyone in need; at our original goal of 49,500 USD we will only be able to sustain the program for 2 months. We are working to reduce the costs and make the program more efficient in order to feed as many people for as long as possible.
Transparency
Yes, transparency is very important. We will continue to provide updates on the amount of people fed with the amount of funds received, transfers made, etc. on our Facebook Page. Upon request, all financial documents can be viewed by anyone.
In accordance with everyone involved, this GoFundMe campaign is organized by Dan Dykgraaf. GoFundMe does not support transferring funds directly to Belize. Thus, all the funds received by Dan in the United States will be wired to an Atlantic Bank account on Caye Caulker set up solely for the Hands of Love Food Drive. This account is managed by James Lynskey (representing the Lazy Lizard).
All funds (minus GoFundMe fees and transaction costs) wil go to:
- Costs of food ingredients
- Direct expenses (propane, gas, barge fees,etc)
Meals are mainly prepared by volunteers. If funds allow, we will do our best to hire a small local staff for a minimum wage, to stimulate employment on the island.
All costs included, our goal is to provide meals at 2.75 BZ (1.38 USD) per meal. Both food programs (Lazy Lizard & Il Pellicano) will invoice the Hands of Love account for their expenses, trying their very best not to exceed the maximum of 2.75 BZ per meal and showing a list of meals provided.
Here’s how you can help
Donate, share, spread the word! If you are on CC and would like to donate takeout containers, your cooking skills, propane tanks or anything else, contact us.
What if we would raise more than our goal
That would be fantastic! After the threat of Covid-19 subsides, the economic consequences will be felt on Caye Caulker for a long time. It will most likely take a while for tourists to reappear. Additional funds will allow us to prolong our program, feed more people or offer financial aid to those in need in other ways. We’ll offer 100% transparency.
Fundraising team (6)
Daniel Dykgraaf
Organizer
Raised $2,861 from 30 donations
Holland, MI
James Lynskey
Team member
Raised $17,682 from 86 donations
James Lynskey
Team member
Raised $4,043 from 32 donations
Kristi Byler
Team member
Raised $155 from 3 donations
Josh Brown
Team member
