Community Partners: La Mesa de Víctimas

Funds donated: $3,822

Results: 238 mercaditos (grocery packages) delivered to families in the lower and middle zones of the Montes de María, Bolivar

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to infect and kill people around the globe, vulnerable communities in lockdown continue to struggle with food shortages and food insecurity, especially in Colombia. The global pandemic has hit communities in the lower and middle zones of Montes de María, Bolivar particularly hard. COVID-19 reached this region at the end of the dry season when water and food stores are at their absolute lowest and families are in dire need to food support.

In an effort to support these families, Friends of Colombia partnered with La Mesa de Víctimas, a local advocacy organization that works with community leaders from rural pueblos in the region. Our partners advocated for food assistance for the Region, but so far that aid has only reached urban centers, leaving the most vulnerable families and communities in need of immediate assistance. To raise funds for La Mesa de Víctimas, FOC members, Chef Carmen Galvis and Chef Jeremy Booth, led a virtual cooking class where they taught us how to make Buñuelitos de Cabezitas Negras (Baked Black-Eyed Pea Fritters) with Ají (dipping sauce).