CHARITY - GRACIAS Costa Rica - Gifting Back • Helping the people of Costa Rica, Charity Organizations

For other CHARITY IDEAS check out -
http://www.saronggoddess.com/Ideas-PeopleHelpingEachOther/i-C3SFKsT

My Costa Rica group is not active any longer as I no longer have the house but if you're interested in where to give donations, where to volunteer, send me an email to:
SarongGoddess@gmail.com

EVERY DAY I bless the opportunity I have been given to live in Costa Rica! I feel as guests in this country either living here or visiting as a tourist, it’s REALLY IMPORTANT to show our gratitude by GIVING BACK in whatever way we can to the wonderful people & land of this AWESOME country!

There are MANY ways to do that:
Volunteering, giving things that are needed or things that you no longer need/are using or giving financially.

It's this reason that I've started “Gracias Costa Rica” http://GraciasCostaRica.com – a sort of clearing house where people can at least give back on the material donation level (we don't take direct cash donations but can turn you onto to whomever needs it directly).

We either find groups/individuals that can use the items or sometimes (less these days) we will try to sell the nicer things


Money raised from it will go into a sort of "Emergency Reserve" for when small needs come up from various charities (though "things" are needed the most). This is also a program working
[note, this is NOT a hand-out program. Groups that benefit from this MUST have in place programs where the recipients MUST do something to give back either to their own program, others or pay a small fee for items which is more empowering for the recipient]).


HOW IT WORKS:
My home in Escazu (conveniently located ON Calle Vieja near Calle Country Club) has become a Donation Drop-Off Point for many charities/groups around Costa Rica.


Depending on how YOU designate the, items will either be donated to various groups which we will give to people in their organization that somehow give SOMETHING be it a small payment, time or something (the intention is NOT to give handouts as that is VERY dis-empowering/enabling to people).

The nicer things will be available for sale to create an Emergency Reserve to help meet needs as they come up from for LOTS of different charities in Costa Rica.

Tour Guides/Drivers with Enjoying Costa Rica Tours can pick things up at hotels when they are in the area (designated hotels throughout the country coming in the future)


The nicer things are kept here (unless you desire them to go specifically towards an organization/cause) and set up at my place (with the dream one day of setting up an official Consignment Shop where someone donates the space and recipients and volunteers can run and sell to the public) where you/the public are invited to come see what we have for sale (by appointment only).

Every few months we do a Yard Sale. What is left over goes to various groups around Costa Rica (we work in conjunction with Enjoying Costa Rica Tours who delivers/picks up
they sell what they received to their people for nominal fees (200-colones, etc.) so they can feel good/empowered that they contributed somehow, or they do some sort of volunteer work to earn the items.

We then start over with collecting items.

(in time our intention is to create Drop-Off Points at various conveniently located hotels in key cities throughout Costa Rica to make it easier for you to get things to us)


The list of needs is endless (I'm working on a more detailed list and will add that when it's done)!! A few examples are:
Shoes
School Supplies (HUMONGOUSLY needed!!)
Food (especially the staples rice, beans, oil, salt, pasta, tomato sauce, tuna)
Household items including appliances and furniture
Medical related supplies/equipment
Books (in Spanish especially but also in English)
Clothes
Learning English books and tapes
Educationally oriented items
Games
Toys (non-battery operated ideally since batteries are expensive)
Baby supplies, office supplies (especially fax machines as even very few of the police stations even have them), computers, building materials (especially roofing nails for the metal roofs they have here), umbrellas, rain ponchos, coats, boots, tarps (rainy season is in process - WHATEVER (as long as it works)!!!


Here are a few sources for the other donations that we’ll be working with:
Helping Hands Costa Rica http://www.HelpingHandsCR.com - A clearing house
Costa Rica Humanitarian Foundation http://www.CRHF.org - Gail Nystrom – MS Volunteer Costa Rica – an AMAZING woman that at any given time is involved on some level with at least 50 different projects throughout CR! They are the benefactors of HHCR’s “Walk a Mile In Their Shoes” program)




For now, what then happens is the nicer items will be at my home (in Escazu, on Calle Vieja near Calle Country Club) where the you/the general public can call and make an appointment to see them to buy. I am also




DONATIONS: If, while in Costa Rica, you'd like to go out & purchase new things for people - I feel your money will go further buying at stores such as Pequeño Mundo (GREAT for clothes [especially for kids & baby's], some toys, household staples, EXCELLENT for Blankets [like $7 for a blanket which keeps someone warm at night] & Raingear when they have them in, household goods like basic tools, lightbulbs, laundry detergent, pots/pans, dishes, etc.). Buy fresh fruits/veges at one of the BIG ferias/farmers markets, buy rice/beans & other such staples at


Vicki Skinner
8-378-6679-within Costa Rica / 1-941-312-7569-from U.S. / Skype: VallartaVicki / LivingLifeInCostaRica@gmail.com
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