Bricks to Bread: The Next Step
In a few weeks Bricks to Bread Board President, Nancy Alvarado, will travel to Costa Rica on a scouting trip for the recipients of oven number two and assist in completing the final stage of oven one. She will also be meeting with several agencies that have expressed interest in partnering with our cause. This June trip is both exciting and important as we expand our reach and impact in Costa Rica.
San Marcos
We look forward to showing you pictures of the completed oven in San Marcos. Laura and Cristina have worked hard to develop, grow and expand their bakery. They truly have an entrepreneurial spirit; from searching for new recipes, to taking classes on baking, and finally obtaining the proper permits to operate as an official bakery. They have even met with Costa Rican health officials to ensure they meet health standards. In June Nancy will assist the Perez Family with the final piece: construction of their prepping and packaging facility.
Oven Build Number 2
It is important to Bricks to Bread that future ovens are successful. Our goal is to build ovens within a reasonable travel distance of other ovens. They will be far enough away so they will not impact the family businesses, but close enough so that each family can support each other in their efforts. For this reason, Laura Perez will accompany Nancy on two scheduled site visits. Laura’s firsthand experience with running and maintaining an oven will be valuable as Nancy meets two potential families. One family lives in a small indigenous community near Guatuso called Palenque. It is roughly 1.5 hours from San Marcos. They will also visit a family in the small community of Carrillo in Guanacaste. Both families will be interviewed to find out if they will be a good fit for an oven build. The families will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the oven building process and the expectations of Bricks to Bread. We are very excited about these visits!
Collaboration and Partnerships
Although, we cannot elaborate much on this right now, we do want to share the news that we are continually seeking ways to improve Bricks to Bread. By building partnerships locally and in Costa Rica we will be able to ensure the success of our nonprofit. Our goal is to be able to build more than one oven at a time and to help more families. As we continue to grow we will require more support. Our organization is only as strong as those who believe in us. Amazing donors like you and assistance from other agencies is extremely important to us. We are amazed at the progress we have made so far and have high hopes that we will be able to announce the development of some strong partnerships in the near future.
If you would like to contribute funds to support our June trip please visit our secure online donation form. Any amount helps! If donated funds exceed the cost of the trip we will put them towards the next build.
