Food deliveries and a Cheese project!

The situation in Haiti continues to be very dire for the people there as food prices are so high, jobs are nearly non-existent, and people are going without food on a daily basis! We are blessed to have been able to continue to send funds to Haiti each month to trusted helpers who buy food in bulk and distribute it to needy families, especially the old folks who have next to nothing.

We also send money to be given to particular people. One young man we know going to school but without money told us that what JUST MERCY had sent him would feed him for three weeks! The families are so grateful to be given funds to be able to purchase food themselves.

During our time in Haiti, we have traveled to the Dominican Republic for various reasons and have met people there, both Dominican and Haitians, who also struggle to live.

Recently, one of our friends in the Dominican Republic told us about a situation where a man had escaped a terrible situation in Venezuela. In trying to support himself in the Dominican Republic, he started making Venezuelan cheese! This is no “cheese factory” like in the states. The milk is brought to his “processing plant” on mules.

  • The tin building where the cheese is made

Then the milk is made into cheese in 5 gallon buckets.

After that it is packaged and hopefully sold. BUT….that is not an easy task. The folks involved in this project have no vehicle so all they can do is take the cheese around on mules to little local markets and try to sell it there. Sometimes they are not able to do sell it.

Recently, they had a lot of unsold cheese at the end of the week and didn’t know what to do. JUST MERCY sent some funds to buy the cheese, helping this enterprising family, and then had a friend take it on Sunday to a Haitian church Bill had visited one time while he was in the Dominican Republic. The people there were overjoyed to receive the cheese. Some nearly cried as they had had no breakfast!!

  • Haitian church in the DR

Life is hard for Haitians in the DR. For the most part, they are looked down upon by the people there. If they have jobs, it is usually the most menial and low paying ones.

Thank you for enabling us to help those who have so little. May God bless you all in whatever circumstances you are in with His peace.

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Janet, wife, mother and grandmother has made many trips to Haiti since the earthquake of 2010. She works to support Just Mercy and her husband Bill and does the many things such as research, communication, ‘technical support”, etc, at home in Missouri that are often quite difficult to do in Haiti. All these activities and her children and grandchildren keep her busy.