Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – What began during the pandemic as a grassroots food bank has grown into a broad community support network serving people across Puerto Vallarta and surrounding areas. Vallarta Cares now provides food assistance, medical and dental care, educational programs and emergency response when local needs change.
According to co-founder Frankie Bañuelos, the organization’s recent weeks have demonstrated just how quickly those needs can shift. Vallarta Cares may be serving meals and assisting patients one day, then responding to flooding or delivering water to neighborhoods without running water the next.
While emergency response is an important part of its mission, Bañuelos emphasized that much of Vallarta Cares’ work happens outside the spotlight. The community kitchen continues operating, patients receive medical and dental attention, families receive food, and the organization’s team travels to areas where access to basic services can be limited.
That steady work is supported by donors, volunteers, local businesses and community members who contribute in different ways. A new partnership with Diagnosti-K is the latest example of how collaboration can help expand access without requiring Vallarta Cares to create another program.
Through the partnership, Vallarta Cares donors can receive a special discount on laboratory services from Diagnosti-K. Supporters can tap into the benefit by registering on the nonprofit’s website.
For Bañuelos, partnerships such as this reflect an important part of the organization’s approach: community support does not always have to mean building something new. Sometimes, it means connecting people with existing services, opening doors and making essential care more accessible.
That philosophy has remained central to Vallarta Cares since its beginnings. The organization’s goal is not only to respond when a crisis occurs, but to strengthen the community by helping vulnerable residents maintain access to food, healthcare, education and other basic needs.
Much of that effort may never result in an emergency announcement or social media post. It simply continues, week after week, because a network of people believes that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and receive help when it is needed.
Vallarta Cares is inviting community members to support that ongoing work. Donations can be made through the organization’s website, with donors also able to register for the Diagnosti-K laboratory discount.
Every donation helps Vallarta Cares continue providing food, healthcare, clean water and emergency assistance to people in need. By supporting the organization, members of the community can help ensure these essential services remain available – not just during a crisis, but every day.
To learn more, volunteer, or donate, please visit vallartacares.org, and be sure to like/follow them on Facebook to stay up to date on what they are doing to help the community.
Vallarta Cares is 100% volunteer based, but all of their work would be impossible without the generosity of donors and supporters. If you would like to help the families of Puerto Vallarta get through trying times, please visit vallartacares.org for donation information.
