| | |  Vallarta Living 
Mama Mexico's and Gecko's Charity Efforts
 PVNN
December 01, 2010
| | To learn how you can help, call (322) 221-5074 or send an email to MamaVallarta(at)yahoo.com. | |
Mama Mexico Charities A.C., offering "Charity and Direction in Mexico" has opened Gecko's Bar and Restaurant on the Malecón to raise funds for the charity's Free Kitchens and planned Social Programs. Gecko's is located on the same block as McDonalds and offers perfect views of the Malecón and the entire Bay of Banderas.
A fully licensed and fully accredited charity, Mama Mexico currently feeds over 700 people daily in their free kitchens in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco and León, Guanajuato, Mexico. They are currently making plans to open a second Free Kitchen in Puerto Vallarta on Columbia Street in the 5 de diciembre neighborhood. This location will have the capacity to feed an additional 1,000 people per day.
Adriana Paz Shields, the Director of Mama Mexico Charities A.C., started the first Free Kitchen in the Remance neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta at Libramiento #308 (the Tunnel Road) in September of 2009.
According to Adriana, "It was right after the worst Tourist Season Puerto Vallarta has had since Hurricane Kenna. My husband, Benjamin, and I were seeing more and more people hungry and begging people in the street (and more petty street crime as well). We met a woman on the bus one night that hadn't eaten in two days! We helped her, of course, and that night my husband told me that 'Someone had to do something!' We did, the next day we started looking for a location for our first Free Kitchen and now after 13 months we haven't closed our doors a single day and we are starting other programs to provide Direction in addition to the Charity that we are providing now."
"The biggest problems our Charity has is that we have no income to support our food or educational and job placement programs. We really know nothing about running a charity or raising donations either. We just wanted to help by feeding some people! Now it's become a larger project than we ever expected and to keep up with everyday is exhausting," she added.
Adriana continued, "My husband and I know the Bar-Restaurant Business and we have over 26 years experience in this industry, that's the reason for us opening Gecko's Bar and Restaurant in downtown Puerto Vallarta. This business will support our current efforts to feed people as well as raise funds for future programs and for our new Free Kitchens in the future. Our charity's goal is to feed and assist 1 Million people a year which is about 3,000 people each day. You can help us to reach this goal with a donation of any size/type, or you can visit our beautiful new Gecko's Bar-Restaurant on the Malecón."
Some of the programs Mama Mexico wants to implement include a program to get shoes for the children (many of the kids don't/can't attend school because they have no shoes!) and, with help, Mama Mexico has assisted over 300 children that otherwise would have been without shoes. Also, the charity has a computer teacher and a possible location for implementing computer classes and a job training and placement program.
Please visit Gecko's Bar and Restaurant soon. We are now open from 9 am till 2 am daily featuring an extensive International Menu, Air-Conditioning, incredible views from balconies overlooking the Malecón, $1 Dollar Beer from 10 am to 2 pm, $15 Peso Beers and Margaritas (all day, everyday) $59 Peso Pasta Dinners and $99 Peso Rib-Eye or Filet Mignon Steak Specials, as well as "The Best Tortilla Soup in Vallarta." Please visit Gecko's Malecón Bar and Restaurant for the prices, the view and to help support Mama Mexico's efforts to feed and assist Mexico's Citizens as well.
To learn more about the Mama Vallarta non-profit foundation, click HERE or visit Mama-Vallarta.org. To learn more about Gecko's Bar and Restaurant in downtown Puerto Vallarta, click HERE or visit Geckos-Bar.com. |
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