For the last four years, visiting teams at Dorie’s Promise have faithfully served the children at Casa de Pan feeding center outside the Guatemala City landfill. The weekly visits with Pastora Mercedez and her staff have been a staple of our community work.

Pastora Mercedez works with some of the poorest, most socially outcast residents of Guatemala City. The families she serves primarily work as “scavengers” in the landfill. Parents in these households spend their days scavenging for anything valuable or recyclable from the landfill while children are often left alone to care for themselves.

Although they earn an honest living, these families are among the lowest social classes within the city. They live in harsh conditions, surrounded by piles of recyclables, in homes built from scrap tin and wood, and are plagued by respiratory conditions from exposure to the landfill. Pastora Mercedez understands the difficulties these families, especially the children, face because she is the daughter of scavengers.

Every weekday 400 children come to one of Pastor Mercedez’s two feeding centers to receive a hot meal.

The Forever Changed International and Casa de Pan Partnership:

Our relationship with Pastora Mercedez has evolved over the last four years. Originally, our teams visited once a week to serve lunch and bring food donations. As our connection deepened, so did our efforts to help strengthen this ministry.

Visiting teams have helped improve the facilities at the feeding center as well as providing financial support for the ministry. Two years ago a team built four classrooms in the church to expand tutoring opportunities for the community. Additionally, twice in recent years visiting teams provided medical clinics for neighborhood children who rarely have access to reliable health services.

Our Director, Alejandra, shares her reflections on our partnership with Pastora Mercedez.

“It has been a blessing to support this ministry during the last few years. Not only have we blessed the children who come to the feeding center every day but we have also seen the blessings in the mission participants’ lives.”

We are excited to announce a generous group of donors has committed to fully funding the monthly food expenses for Pastora Mercedez and Casa de Pan! Thanks to the commitment of our teams over the last four years, the future of Pastora Mercedez’s feeding centers are secure for the future.

Thank you to everyone who has served with us and donated towards Pastora Mercedez’s feeding centers to help her reach financial security.