Elderly Care Video

This is another of the wonderful Videos that Barbara and Kathleen did for Mayan Families! Thank you so much!

Claudias story on video

Spreading the word!

Spreading the word really does help give these children a better chance at life for a better future. You never know whose heart they may touch.

Thank you for spreading the word to help Laura.

There are so many children hoping for a chance to go to school and so many parents that want the best for their children who are hoping for someone to help them give their children a better future that they themselves never were able to have.

School is starting very soon and we need to spread the word quickly so these students have a chance to go to school when school starts.

There are about 110 hopeful students listed on the Mayan Families sign in website who still don't have sponsors to attend school in January 2011.

I have them all linked at the top of the Mayan Families Connection Guatemala Blog at: http://mayanfamiliesconnectionguatemala.blogspot.com/p/students-in-need-of-school-sponsorship.html

If you click the above link, you do not have to sign in to view these students direct student pages.
The Mayan Familie website only has room to show a few of the children at a time without having to sign in to see them.

Please spread the word for these children and post the above link on your blogs and websites, facebook, etc so that as many children can be sponsored as possible.

If we all rally for them, we can make miracles happen for these children before the start of the January school year.

Thanks!

Students in the Mayan Families Aid Program Who Still Need Sponsors

Hi Everyone,

Many of Mayan Families Family Aid students were fortunate to receive student sponsorship for the upcoming January School year but here are a couple more students in Mayan Families Family Aid Program that are really hoping to be able to go to school this year.

FA65 Laura # 1580
Laura is 8 years old. She is the youngest of six, and she has four siblings in the program (Cristina #1577; Roberto #1576; Juliana is #1578; Celestina is #1579). Laura is the only one of her siblings in the Student Sponsorship who still needs sponsorship.

Marcela Pocop and Laura's mother is standing firmly behind her children; she knows how important an education is to their future, and she's going to make sure they can go to school the only way they can afford--on scholarships--whether her husband likes it or not.
To read Laura's family story, please visit.

http://mayanfamiliesconnectionguatemala.blogspot.com/2010/11/marcela-pocop-stands-up-for-her.html

If you would like to sponsor Laura, please visit her student sponsorship page at:
http://www.mayanfamilies.org/sponsorastudent?id=1580

FA61 Wagner #1582 who is in the Family Aid Program also needs a sponsor for the January 2011 school year.
Wagner is 11 years old. He is in 5th grade in 2011. Wagner's family is in the Family Aid program. Their number is FA61.
Wagner lives in San Jorge with his mother, Teresa 35yrs old. His 36 year old father Jose passed away in early summer of 2010.

Wagner has two brothers and three sisters. The 4 of Wagner's siblings that are in the student sponsorship program have found sponsors but Wagner is still hopeful that he will be sponsored to go to school before school starts in January as well.
Please spread the word to help Wagner find his sponsor.

If you would like to sponsor Wagner or read his story please visit:
http://www.mayanfamilies.org/sponsorastudent?id=1582

Thanks for spreading the word to help these children find sponsorship.

Mayan Families Part 2 Newsletter for December 2010

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Mayan-Families-Newsletter-Part-2-for-December-2010.html?soid=1103559743325&aid=n3PsnXTr7lo

Poem to Mayan Families..thank you Bonnie!

With all the activity and dedication that Mayan Families and their staff are doing,
I thought that this is a great time to repost my dedication poem to them I wrote in 2007.
I will also post it on  the Mayan Families Connection Blog.
http://mayanfamiliesconnectionguatemala.blogspot.com/
Feel free to share it if you wish.
Thank you to Mayan Families for all they do to help so many people in need.
Bonnie
My Friend Mayan Families

 

We are a poor and lonely Family who lives far away.

We struggle just to live each and every day.

My children are all hungry and there is no food for them to eat.

Their clothes are all dirty and I have no shoes to put on their feet.

 

We are barely surviving in our one room run down shack.

There's no glass on the windows or no door on the back.

 

Our shack is kind of dirty because there is no floor.

But I sweep it every day and throw the dirt out the door.

 

The roof is very leaky when the wind and rain come down.

The muddy floor is slippery when we try to walk around.

 

 We sleep on a mat that lays on the cold dirt floor.

We have no money to buy a bed at the store.

 

There's no kitchen stove to cook on or no food in a sack.

There is no work any where and it's money that we lack.

 

The water is to dirty for the children to drink.

I can not wash the dishes because there is no sink.

 

My children are all hungry and they have no where to play.

Life continues like this each and every day.

 

We are a poor and lonely Family but no one even cares.

They walk right past us and only give us stares.

 

The only clothes we have are ragged on our back.

My husband died last year of a heart attack.

 

We live up in the mountains where it gets real cold at night.

And the stars up in the heavens are our only light.

 

We are a poor and lonely Family struggling to survive.

When tomorrow comes along we may not be alive.

 

I know you are all busy, but can you hear my plea?

I am sick and very dizzy with no one to help me.

 

So if you're really out there, and you really care,

Will you please come and help me so no one has to stare?

 

I kept right on hoping that some one would hear my pleas.

And then one day some one came to visit, called Mayan Families.

 

They brought some food for us to eat.

And gave us shoes for on our feet.

 

They gave us warm clothes because it gets so cool.

They even sent my children to learn to read at school.

 

They took me to the doctor to get the medicine I need.

 They gave me a pair of glasses so I can see to bead.

 

They gave me a filter to clean the water that we drink.

And now I have water in a huge three section sink.

 

The fire that I cooked on burned in my eyes and made them sore.

 But I now have an Onil stove that isn't smoky any more.

 

They gave our house a new roof to keep out all the rain.

And on our cold windows they put some window pane.

 

They gave us a new bed and blankets to keep us warm at night.

 And they connected electricity so we could have some light.

 

The floor is no longer muddy because they gave us cement, you see.

Mayan Families is so special because they did this all for me.

 

So when you come passing by, there is no need to stare.

I now have a very special friend that does really care.

 

I know that they will be back to check on me in a little while.

Because when they left they gave me a hug and a great big smile.

 

So Thank You Mayan Families from the bottom of my heart.

You got us back up on our feet and gave us a brand new start.

 

Copyright 2007

Feliz Navidad from Guatemala.

On behalf of everyone at Mayan Families I want to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy, prosperous and peaceful New Year.

We are so grateful to each and everyone of you for all the support, encouragement, consideration, time, energy and love you send to the people of  Guatemala.

When we distributing the Tamale Baskets , the Diario Newspaper came and interviewed me.   I explained what we were doing and why.  The next day there was an article and photos in the newspaper. They also interviewed two women who had been standing outside in the line for hours and were lucky enough to  get a Tamale Basket. One of the women, a mother of about 5 children told the reporter that her husband takes sand out of the river for a living  and that they had no plans to celebrate Christmas at all until they got the Tamale Basket.  Now she said they would be able to celebrate......this interview really affected the staff at Mayan Families...Everyone had been so involved in all the work to distribute the baskets but  seeing this interview and having this woman explain how much the Tamale basket meant to her, really brought home to them just how wonderful it was for people to be able to receive these baskets and gave them the added boost to continue putting  in the long hours that we had all been doing.

Thank you all for making such a difference in so many lives this Christmas...there are so many families who were able to celebrate and have a real meal on Christmas Eve, so many children who had a toy, clothes, shoes and even beds to sleep on.   

I hope all the blessings that you have sent to Guatemala are returned to you and your families.
Feliz Navidad!!!!
Sharon

Christmas comes to the Trash Dump!

These families living and working in the trash dump above Panajachel were so suprised and delighted to receive a Tamale Basket to celebrate Christmas. They spend their days going through trash to find items to recycle and sell. They make very little money.
This was a huge delight for them.
Thank you everyone who donated a Tamale Basket for making it possible for families to celebrate Christmas!
To see more photos please go to this link....this is also the families in Chuitanimit who received baskets.      The photos of the families in the dump are at the end of the page.

Warm beds for Chuitanimit

Thanks to the generous donations that we received all 23 families in Chuitanimit received mattresses and a blanket each. They now have a very warm place to sleep and as you can see from the smiles, they are very happy about this.
This small community was displaced during Tropical Storm Agatha. Their land and homes were deemed to be in great risk and they had to sign papers saying that they would not return to this area to live. They are now waiting for the help that the govt. promised, that they would buy land and would be able to build a house each upon it. But it looks like they may be living in these tents for at least the next 1-2years. The area where they are now will be absolutely miserable when the rains come. It will be very muddy and there are some tents that are very near a steep embankment....this will be very challenging in the wet season.

Previously these families were sleeping on thin pieces of foam on the tent floor. It is cold in the Highlands and it had to be very uncomfortable. There were already two children who had been taken to the hospital with pnuemonia. Thanks to the wonderful people who made it possible for these families to now be able to sleep in warmth and comfort.
What a great Christmas gift for them!
To see more photos ....please go to this link   
You have to scroll down to the end of the photos to see the Chuitanimit mattresses being delivered.

Feliz Navidad with lots of smiles in Guatemala!

These are just a few of our sponsored students who were so thrilled to receive gifts from their sponsors. Thank you so much for spreading so much joy.
To see more beautiful photos with lots of happy faces , please go to this link

Tamale Baskets being distributed in Guatemala!

These are some of the scenes from yesterday....giving out Tamale Baskets......so far we have distributed 1,525 baskets of food to needy families.
Thanks to the donations that have been received there are a lot of families who will be able to celebrate Christmas this year!

We still have a long line of people outside our door hoping to be able to receive a basket. It is not too late to send your donation of $35 US to feed a family of 10 people!  To see more photos please go to this link.http://picasaweb.google.com/mayanfamilies/Diciembre21De2010General#
Just go to our website, www.mayanfamilies.org and to the donate section. Feliz Navidad!
Signing in for the basket.  
Below are just some of the very large crowd waiting outside in the street.

Tamale Basket count for today.

Today we have 1,424 baskets to distribute!!!!!
We have been packing and distributing baskets since 7.am......as I write, the staff and several volunteers are there still packing baskets.....we have given out about 500 today and expect to give out more tomorrow.

It is nearly 8p.m. in Panajachel, it is cold and there are over a 100 people still standing in the street outside the gate who are hoping to get a basket. We have been making announcements all day that we do not have more baskets, only for the people with tickets but the people are so hopeful and in some cases , so desperate that they continue waiting.

As I left this evening there was a mother with a little girl about 4 yrs old, they had been waiting all day, the little girl was crying , her face was dirty and tear stained ....she had on only a t.shirt and shorts and it is cold, I told the mother , please take her home, we just do not have any more baskets to give out.....but as I got in the tuk tuk, I saw that she was still standing at the front door hoping to get a basket.
I wish that we had enough for all of them.....but we can only do what we can do....and I think it is a pretty amazing effort that today, thanks to all of you who have made so much effort ...that there will be a possible 14,240 people able to have more to eat this week. Thank you !!!!!!! and please tell your friends and family...it is not too late.....we would love to have more baskets to pack!
abrazos,
Sharon

Claudia's Story from Mayan Families

This wonderful Video has at the end prices that are not correct. They will be edited and corrected. We are so amzed at the fantastic work that was done to get this video made. Thank you so much Barbara!

Mattresses needed for the children of Chuitanimit.

Hi Everyone,

Here is a link to Tom's Blog about the Sad Story of Caserio Chutinamit.

http://missionguatemala.com/2010/11/the-sad-story-of-caserio-chutinamit/

Thanks to Tom this families in this village will each receive a Tamale basket.

This is the temporary village that Mayan Families is trying to provide mattresses for each family.

We still need 21 mattresses for families.

Thanks Tom for posting about Chutinamit and for providing the Tamale Baskets for them.
If you would like to provide a mattress for a family living in Chuitanamit....please go to this link.

Bonnie

Growing Old Video from Mayan Families

Tamale Basket count!

I am so happy to tell you that today we have 1,357 Tamale Baskets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are hoping that we will still have more coming in as there are so many people coming to our door asking to get food for Christmas.
Thank you everyone for spreading the word. Each basket makes a huge difference to the family that receives it.
Thank you so much to all of you....this is so wonderful for the families here....lets keep our fingers crossed we will get to the 1,600 from last year.
Sharon

Tamale Basket Packing Underway!

The Tamale Basket marathon got underway this morning in Panajachel, with both staff and volunteers arriving at 8am to get started on the holiday gifts that so many families are looking forward to.  We'll be working all day tomorrow Monday to put together and pass out the baskets, which include the ingredients for the traditional Christmas meal of tamales and hot chocolate, as well as other staples.

The families of our sponsored students, as well as members of our Family Aid and Elderly Care programs, look forward to these baskets every year.  Last year, we were able to give out about 1,600 baskets.  Since each basket can feed 10 people, that means 16,000 people were able to participate in the Christmas tradition, not to mention have a filling meal, thanks to the generosity of all of you--our amazing donors!

Though we're getting down to the wire, we are still about 350 baskets short of the 1600 baskets we handed out last year.  The 1250 baskets that we already have will do a world of good--that's 12,500 people who won't go hungry, and 1,250 impoverished families who might be able to forget about their need for at least one night.

But this year has been an exceptionally hard one here in Panajachel and the surrounding towns--global economic downturn has taken its toll on Guatemala's economy, and an especially violent rainy season has destroyed crops, homes, and livelihoods.  Many families that had been fighting to stay afloat before have now slipped into real poverty.  Undoubtedly, for many, this will be the first Christmas where the traditional meal is out of reach, and the first time that hunger becomes an unwelcome guest at the holiday table.  Please help us prevent this, for as many people as we possibly can.

To send a Tamale Basket ($35) to a family in need, go to Donate Now, and enter your gift in the "Community Aid" box.  To designate a particular family to receive your basket, please enter either their family aid number or a the number of a sponsored student in the box marked "Extra Notes."

Here are some more pictures of the activity this morning:

Tamale basket update.!

Hi everyone,

Great news! We now have a total of 1,206 Tamale Baskets.

Unfortunately, this is still short of last years amount of 1,600. If anyone is thinking about donating a basket, the time is upon us. I had the unfortunate task of telling people standing outside our office hoping for a general basket, that we do not even have enough baskets for our sponsored students. We currently have 1,633 sponsored students.

I know some of you maybe thinking, "it is only the 16th of December." The fact of the matter is, we start handing out baskets on Monday.

Thank you again to everyone that has donated a basket and Happy Holidays!
Here is the link to donate....http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow

 

Best wishes,

Susie

Elderly couple from Nahaula.

This is an elderly couple from Nahaula who come to Panajachel and walk the streets begging.
The man is almost unable to walk. They were very grateful to receive this donation of food.

Tierra Linda Elderly care.

This poor old woman from Tierra Linda has been struggling for some time now. We have provided her with medical care for awhile now. She has an enlarged heart and her lungs fill up with fluid. She is a beloved grandmother who looks after the little ones while the parents are at work. She has not even for several days and has no energy. We sent her to the doctor today and got her more medication. We also got her ensure so that she could keep up her strength. Thank you for your donations to the Medical program we were able to provide care and some comfort to her .

Opportunity to buy land!

11/19ths of the Ibate family

Mayan Families always has many families in need of secure housing.  The houses that we have been able to build are a dramatic, lasting relief to families who have often been struggling for years.  Unfortunately, the price of land in Panajachel is so high that we rarely have the resources to purchase it on our own.  Thanks to the generosity of donors, we now own two pieces of land in Pana.  On one plot, we have already built a new home for a large family that lost their home in Agatha.  On the other, construction has already begun on a house for the Ibate family, which has 19 members, and is about to be evicted from the small shack that they have been sharing for years.

The construction site.

These two properties are almost next to each other--they are separated only by one plot of land.  A few days ago, we got some great news--the owner of the property in the middle wants to sell, and is asking only $3500!  If Mayan Families can purchase the land in between the properties we already own, we will have space to build houses for three families in need (and maybe more--we are looking at ways to make the best use of the space).  Unfortunately, we need to raise the money very quickly--we have just one week to pay.

Part of the Ramirez Raynoso family in their cooking area.

There are three families in particular need of housing help who could benefit tremendously if we are successful in purchasing this land.  One is a single mother with a large family (click here to read more about the Ramirez Raynoso family).  There are 11 people living in their current home, which consists of two small rented rooms and an outdoor 'kitchen' that makes it impossible to cook in rain or strong wind.  They were recently saved from eviction by the generous efforts of a sponsor, but still have difficulty putting food on the table.  A home of their own would be a long-term solution to their constant struggle to pay for both food and housing.

Merlyn (5), Angela, and Gloria (8)

Another family that could be helped by these new homes is that of Angela Lopez Mendez.  Angela has separated from her husband, and because her husband earns more money, he has custody of her two older children (8 and 15).  Her youngest daughter, Merlyn (5), is with Angela, and her older daughter, Gloria (8), wants to return to her mother, but she won't be allowed to until Angela has a better living situation.  Angela and Merlyn recently lost their living situation (click here to read their full story). Because Merlyn isn't in school yet and her older siblings aren't at home to watch her, Angela has had a difficult time finding work that will allow her to care for her daughter, and they are struggling to pay even the low rent on their small, fly-infested single room.  If they had a house, Gloria could come home to her mother, and Angela could direct all of her income towards making sure that her kids are fed and clothed.

Carlos (10) and Angelica

Finally, there are Angelica and her 10-year-old son, Carlos.  Angelica, who is 6 months pregnant, lost her husband in a motorcycle accident 3 and a half months ago.  They had been living with her husband's family, but they threw Angelica and Carlos out of the house immediately after his death (click here for their full story).  She has been selling her few possessions to pay the rent on the room that she and Carlos share, but she is running out of things to sell, and she and Carlos aren't eating much.  With a home of their own, she could concentrate on feeding her son, taking care of herself, and getting ready for the arrival of her daughter.

This finished house is now home for a family that lost theirs in Agatha.

Of course, everyone here at Mayan Families is excited at the prospect of being able to do so much good for these three families (and perhaps even others), but we need your help!  To donate towards the purchase of this land, go to Donate Now.  Enter your gift in the other box, and enter the description as "Land Purchase."  This effort has the potential to do an incredible amount of good--thank you for your support!

Mayan Families Holiday projects update

Please click on the link to read our latest news update! It now works!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Mayan-Families-Correction.html?soid=1103559743325&aid=dxWHNrxMHzk

Still time for food baskets and gifts to Guatemala.

Christmas is almost upon us, and many sponsors have written asking if it is still possible to send a Tamale Basket or a gift to their sponsored students...yes--there is still time!  The Tamale Baskets give enough food to feed a family of 10 people, and are a great way to ensure that your sponsored student can enjoy a traditional holiday meal with their family.  More than that, the baskets are in many cases a much needed supplement for families who have been struggling to keep food on the table during this particularly difficult year.  More information, and instructions for donating a basket, can be found on the Mayan Families website, here.

Due to many requests, this year we have also provided a small list of toys that can be purchased here in Guatemala as Christmas gifts for sponsored students (you can find the list here).  If you would like to make your sponsored student's holiday a little brighter with a gift, we will be happy to purchase it and send you a photo of the student as they receive it.

Finally, if you would like to send a Tamale Basket, toy, or other donation in someone else's name this Christmas, we have provided several holiday cards which can be printed out and given as gifts.  There are two options that can be used for any type of donation, and four that are designed for specific gifts--Tamale baskets, water filters, fuel-efficient stoves, and beds.  You can find them all here, at MicroMundo.org, a website run by 3 of our volunteers.  These are great for the people on your list who already have everything!



You do not have to be a sponsor to send a Tamale basket of food to a needy family....or a gift for a child who otherwise will not receive one.

Thank you, and have a great holiday,

Honors Spanish Program at Edgewood Jnr./Snr. High.

A big thank you to Mrs. Rosa Perotti and her wonderful students in the Honors Spanish Program at Edgewood Jnr./Snr. High School in Merritt Island, Florida.
They collected a huge amount of clothes, shoes, toys, blankets etc to be distributed here in Guatemala at Christmas. These items are going to make so many people happy ....there were also lots of boys action figures which are going to be so appreciated by the boys here!  Thank you for taking the time and the effort to collect these goods and send them to us....we are so grateful.

Chuitanimit. ..a community in need.

Chuitanimit is a small community with a lot of needs. The basically have nothing.
This is a community that lost their land due to the mudslides earlier this year.
They have been relocated to a piece of land and have been provided Shelterboxes to live in.

Shelterboxes are a wonderful tent that can fit probably 10 people sleeping in them. They are meant for emergency situations but not for long term living.
These families already came from a very poor community. All they had was the homes that they lived in....now they have lost those and they are trying to rebuild their lives.
The Guatemalan govt. has said that they will purchase land for them and they will build houses.
In the long run, they probably will do this but it could take a long, long time to complete. In the meantime, the families live in these tents. Quite often extended families living in one tent....they were given thin sponge mattresses to sleep on but in this cold weather , it is not sufficient. Already two children have been taken to hospital with pnuemonia. The weather is very cold at night in the highlands. The families need mattresses to sleep on.
Beds will not fit in the tents but a double mattress will give at least 5-6 people a warm place to sleep.
A double mattress costs $45 US.....we need 25 of them to give to this community so that they can all have a warm place to sleep during this winter.

We would like to give them a tamale basket each ....so that this community can celebrate Christmas. These baskets of food cost $35 US and will feed a family of ten. Please consider giving a gift to help this community.


These are the tents that the families are living in. Thank you Shelter box for providing these. Before they got the tents they were sleeping under pieces of plastic sheeting.














A community bathroom. There are 100 plus people living in this community. There are 57 children.

If you can possibly help one of these families to have a mattress to sleep on and/or a basket of food, you would be making a huge difference in their lives.
To make a donation please go to this link.http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow
and make your donation through Community Aid...please specify that it is for  Chuitanimit.

Newsletter from Mayan Families, December-2010

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Newsletter-from-Mayan-Families-December-2010.html?soid=1103559743325&aid=6v4OJ2SHT20

Manuel needs urgent medical care.

Manuel is in urgent need of medical help. He is one of the elderly people in our Elderly Care program.
Please read his story here.
http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2010/12/manuel-urgently-needs-medical-care.html

Thank you Avalon Rotary Club, Catalina Island, California!

We want to sincerely thank the Avalon Rotary Club on Catalina Island, California for the wonderful donation to help ship books to Guatemala.
We are very grateful to Karen  and Mac MacKay, who have worked so hard to collect books for the schools in Guatemala.   Karen and Mac are retired school teachers who came to Guatemala, taught school here for a year and saw the tremendous need that the Guatemalan schools have. 
Most schools in the Highlands do not have a library, most schools here in the highlands have few, if any, books.
When Karen and Mac realized that there was a store room of Spanish books in schools in California that were not being used, they worked very hard to raise the funds to send these books to Guatemala.
Not only did they get a huge amount of books to the schools last year, but they flew down, spent weeks organizing the books and distributed them to schools.
They now have collected another huge amount of books for High Schools.
They will be shipping these books and will once again be coming down to help sort and donate.
They could not do this without the help that they have received from the Avalon Rotary Club.  
The McKays still need some help with shipping funds...if you can help, even a little, please go to the link below.
http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNowOnce again, thank you Avalon Rotary Club and thank you to Karen and Mac McKay!

Boxes of Hope and Love in Guatemala!

These are the Hope Chests that our wonderful volunteer, Michael designed. Michael visited many homes and saw that the children often had no beds, no tables and nowhere to store their clothes and possessions. Michael decided to start building Hope Chests .....they can be used as storage, they can be used as a bed for a small child to sleep on, they can be used as a table to eat at and also do homework.

They are beautifully painted and depending on the volunteers and their artistic abilities , they have some fantastic designs. They are all built with love!

These boxes were donated to be given to families who are very much in need.
We chose families in Panajachel who really needed to have something as useful as this box.

As you can see the families were very happy to have them. Michael and Mayan Families staff member, Carlos delivered them to the families.

If you would like to donate a Hope Chest, they are $80 US.
Thank you Michael and Carlos for all your hard work on these boxes. Thank you to the people who donated to make these boxes possible.

Mayan Families Holiday Cards Now Available!

This Holiday season, consider giving the gift of a donation in the name of a friend or family member. Mayan Families has six holiday cards now available. There are six cards total: two are for general donations, and four are for specific donation types (tamale basket, bed, water filter, or stove donations). You can download the card as either a PDF or JPEG file. Just download the card you want, print a copy, write your name and the donation details, and give it to the person in whose name the donation was made.

Because the software for this website won't allow the cards to uploaded here, all six cards are being hosted at a blog site run by three Mayan Families volunteers: http://micromundo.org/2010/12/07/mayan-families-holiday-cards/.

Scroll down to read about each of the cards available. Click here to see the complete cards and to  download the file you'd like to print out!

General Holiday Card: This card can be used for any donation type or amount. To make a donation or to see the donation types available, go to the Mayan Families Donate Now page. Easy to Print General Card: This card can also be used for any donation type or amount, but will use less ink than the other general card. To make a donation or to see the donation types available, go to the Mayan Families Donate Now page.

Bed Donation Holiday Card: This card is specifically designed for a bed donation. A complete bed and mattress donation costs $170. To donate a bed, go to the Mayan FamiliesDonate Now page, enter the donation amount in the Other box, and in theExtra Details box specify “Bed donation — where most needed.” Or, choose a specific family in need of a bed from theFamily Aid Blog.

Holiday Tamale Basket Donation Card: This card is designed for holiday tamale basket donations specifically. A tamale basket provides enough food for a traditional Guatemalan Christmas feast for up to twelve people, and costs $35. To donate a tamale basket, go to the Mayan Families Donate Now page, enter your donation in theGeneral box, and write “General Tamale Basket Donation” in the Extra Notes section. You can also send a basket for a family specifically — read about families in need on the Family Aid Blog.

Water Filter Holiday Card: This card is specifically designed for water filter donations. A water filter donation costs $50. To donate, go to the Mayan Families Donate Now page, enter in your donation in the Other box, and write “Water Filter — where most needed” in the Extra Notes box. You can also choose a specific family to receive a filter from the Family Aid blog.

Stove Donation Holiday Card: This card is specifically designed for water filter donations. A water filter donation costs $50. To donate, go to the Mayan Families Donate Now page, enter in your donation in the Other box, and write “Water Filter — where most needed” in the Extra Notes box. You can also choose a specific family to receive a filter from the Family Aid blog.

These are what the covers for the individual cards will look like. To see inside the cards and to download the file that you would like to print out, click here.