A Small Honduran Community

Hi virtual community! My name is Hannah. I am a full-time college student, server and volunteer living in Seattle, WA. A few summers ago, one of my dearest friends and her mother, Erin and Sandy, traveled to a small island off the coast of Honduras. This island is called Roatan island and it holds a population of roughly 90,000 people. During their 7-day visit, they met the most kindhearted, genuine and loving man named JC. JC showed them around the island and ensured that they felt protected and welcomed as if they were his own family. Like most people living on Roatan, he makes a living by providing services to tourists visiting the island with his own boat. Without cruise ships and tourists, there is absolutely no income for him and his family. JC supports two small children and his wife. He wakes up just before sunrise to clean his boat and to make sure it’s ready when he stumbles upon a tourist seeking a snorkeling adventure or a local guide. Most of the residents in JC’s close community support their families by doing the same work. Tourists keep these families fed and their electricity running. No tourists are visiting the island because it is completely shut down and quarantined with a curfew due to COVID-19. JC and many families within his close community are starting to run out of resources.

The government hands out roughly 1,000 bags of food per week to families in need and while this is helping to feed many, it is barely scratching the surface when it comes to assistance needed for a large portion of the 90,000 people population. There is a dire need for help so families can keep up with the costs of electricity, rent and groceries to last throughout the next month. Imagine this: the price to keep an entire family (4-8 people on average) afloat for A SINGLE MONTH is only between $200-$250 in this country.

The $2,000 will be spent by providing groceries, rent money and electricity money throughout the small community JC resides in for the next month or so. 

Erin, our friends and I have felt overwhelmed by the amount of suffering and turmoil our entire planet is currently experiencing. We’ve felt as though making an impact is out of reach.  I'm realizing more and more as time goes by that THERE ARE ALWAYS SMALL WAYS to contribute and make an impact in a single person’s life- which is more than enough. It starts with you and I. Every dollar will be utilized in the smartest and most efficient way possible. These families have no external resources much like many across the globe, nor will they receive any relief from the government for the foreseeable future. EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS.