From June 24-27, Tzu Chi volunteers from Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas traveled to Mexico City and the City of Leon to distribute aid to over 300 poverty-stricken families, visit convalescent home and nursing home, and hold new volunteer training classes. Approximately 70 volunteers from Mexico City and the City of Leon also joined to prepare and/or distribute the aid.

At 9:45am on June 26, the team of volunteers from the US as well as 18 local volunteers started to prepare 400 bags of goods, including rice, oil, sugar, beans, corn powder and noodle (each bag contains approximately one month of food supplies).

After preparing the goods, volunteers visited two sites.  First site was a center called Casa De Asistencia Y Rehabilitacion Para Indigentes A.C., which has 75 patients.  Most of the patients are homeless people suffering from mental illnesses.  Second site was a nursing home called Carpi, where 28 elderly live.  Volunteers entertained the elderly during the visit, and some elderly even joined in to dance.  One of the elderly, Jesus, drew an angel to give to the volunteers in order to express his gratitude.  Another elderly, Migual, said, “Thank you for your wonderful entertainment.  If you can come everyday, that will be wonderful!”  Before the volunteers left, the director of the nursing home said to the volunteers, “Thank you for the entertainment.  You have made all the elderly here feel very happy.”

In the evening, the first new volunteer training was held in the City of Leon.  29 new volunteers participated in the training.  The training was focused on Tzu Chi’s relief work and humanistic culture.  Volunteer Audrey from Las Vegas shared with the participants the importance of reducing carbon footprints in our daily lives.  Volunteer Hank from Los Angeles shared with everyone about Tzu Chi’s emergency disaster services and Tzu Chi’s international relief footprints.   Volunteer Margaret from San Diego led everyone to perform sign language.  Volunteer Kevin from Las Vegas shared with the participants how the Las Vegas Service Center expanded from one to 25 commissioners in the past few years.

At 10:30am on June 27^th, a distribution ceremony was held.  Everyone sang the Mexican National Anthem with their right hand in front of their chest as a way to show respect to the country.  Afterwards, everyone sang the Tzu Chi Anthem.  Volunteer Lazar from Los Angeles introduced the meaning of Tzu Chi in Spanish.  Tzu means compassion, and Chi means relief.  He also introduced Tzu Chi’s missions and the spirit of Great Love, where volunteers give selflessly in over 65 countries.  He expressed to the aid recipients that Tzu Chi will accompany them with love and care since everyone is like one big family.  A representative from the city government expressed their gratitude to Tzu Chi, to thank Tzu Chi for traveling to Leon to help the poverty-stricken families. 

During the distribution, and aid recipient cried and said, “I have suffered so much from starvation…every night I kneel down to pray for blessings from God, but I can’t believe that the first group of people to lend a helping hand comes from a Buddhist organization.”  There was a lady who was the first in line to receive aid.  Her husband is quite old, and they often have no food to eat every other day.  Tzu Chi is the first organization to help her family.  A lady called Maria has a daughter who has been sick for 28 years and cannot function, so volunteers took her contact information in order to visit her.  Another lady, Ana Maria, has adopted two abandoned babies, but her neck is injured, so it has been hard for her to save up money to purchase food.

On June 27, a total of 323 bags of goods were distributed to the aid recipients, and volunteers also conducted home visits and delivered 12 bags of goods.  A local government agency also assisted to deliver 15 bags of goods.  A total of 85 volunteers assisted with the distribution on June 27, with nine from the US, 11 from Mexico City, and 60 from the City of Leon.