Over 37,000 Pounds of Food Donated to Fire victims in Toledo  

More relief is on the way for the victims of the victims of the brushfires that raged in Toledo during the unprecedented dry season experienced this year. In response to the devastation, the Julian Cho Society, Toledo Alcaldes Association, Maya Leaders Alliance and its partners launched a forest fire relief, restoration and prevention initiative. Through this effort, over thirty-seven thousand pounds of food were distributed to three hundred and seventy-two families. Cristina Coc, spokesperson for the Toledo Alcalde’s Association and Maya Leaders Alliance provided us with more details.

 

Cristina Coc, Spokesperson, Toledo Alcalde’s Association & Maya Leaders Alliance

“Our response was intentional. It was rather than invest in trying to control the fires, which we knew in many instances were uncontrollable, we were gearing up and prepared to provide food relief. and emergency relief in the aftermath of the fire. And so we have been able now to provide food immediate food supply to victims who lost their cornfields and who lost their subsistence farms. We’ve provided them with culturally relevant foods in the form of corn beans, rice, flour and of course, sugar.  We did that over the course of the last three weeks, we’ve been delivering that emergency food supply to communities. In the Toledo district and we’ve identified, I think the number is three hundred and seventy-two families that were directly impacted. There were many other families who lost cash crops, who lost. Permanent trees, fruit trees. For those victims, we are going to roll out a program where we’re going to provide seedlings for them to restart their farms. That is in the medium to long term. In the next couple of months or so, we’re going to have those seedlings ready to be distributed. Right now, our priority is the food. We work on a daily basis with these communities. We work on a daily basis with the alkalis in all of these communities, the chairman, the village councils of these communities. And so it is a part of our response. In our relationship with the communities, we know that being is really important. Food security is a big thing in the communities. And it is all our responsibility to respond in a positive way if we can to the communities.”