Meet Our Weekly Dinner Box Program, Courtesy of USANA

Did you know we operate a weekly dinner box program in San Andres Semetabaj, Guatemala? That’s right, thanks to the USANA Foundation’s generous donation, we have been able to expand the amount of help we provide to Guatemalans in need. So we’ve been doing it through food assistance.

We know the best way to prevent malnutrition is to eat a healthy, well balanced diet, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, so that is what we strive to provide. Many families in Guatemala skip dinner because they simply do not have enough money to buy food.

That’s why in October 2021 we started the Weekly Dinner Box Program for 23 families and a total of 87 individuals. Each week we are able to provide them with a box of healthy high protein foods. And we are proud to announce our Weekly Dinner Box program is going strong!

In just 9 weeks we have provided:

• 279 pounds of oatmeal
• 324 pounds of Incaparina (fortified hot drink)
• 6000 eggs
• 270 liters of milk
• 756 pounds of beans
• 756 packages of pasta
• 684 pounds of chicken
• 207 liters of oil
• 174 apples
• 30 pounds of lentils
• 23 pounds of salt

Why Do We Do This?

Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nearly half of all Guatemalan children under the age of five are chronically malnourished. The lack of nutritious food with sufficient calories or nutrients is getting worse every day for families who are not able to buy enough food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Chronic childhood malnutrition is a debilitating consequence of poverty. It also causes cognitive impairments, which are often irreversible. Children who suffer from these impairments are more likely to drop out of school and grow up to have less potential for economic success later in life.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected food security for hundreds of thousands of Guatemala’s most vulnerable people. Right now, 1.2 million people are currently in need of emergency food aid. More than 15,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children were reported at the end of May 2020, exceeding the total number of cases reported for all of 2019.

We are providing weekly dinner boxes to:

• 11 single moms
• 26 adults
• 50 young children and teenagers

Because of The USANA Foundation we have been able to provide 7395 dinners in just 9 weeks and are grateful to be able to offer this service to our grateful community.

Thank you so much for your support!