Seaside Rotary's Feeding the Future program was initiated in 2017 in Torres de la Paz, a village just outside Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Torres de la Paz is a remote settlement that has grown from a few desperate families living in tents, under the high-tension power lines, to a community of over 2,500 people.

The majority of these families are desperately poor. The living conditions range from one-room cinder block homes to shelters pieced together out of scrap wood and old tarps. The situation is dire and most of the residents are just barely getting by, living hand to mouth.

There are no public schools in this area, but even if there were, the majority of the children would be unable to matriculate because they do not have the correct documentation nor the funds to purchase the required uniforms, books and supplies. In an attempt to address the needs of the children and families living in the settlement, a small community school was built.

In this school, Seaside Rotary has set up a solar-powered clean water filtration system, a biodigester and a small kitchen. This is where we run our ongoing nutrition program, Feeding the Future.

Ensuring that children have access to nutritious meals is vital, especially in communities where poverty limits their daily intake. In this small, underserved community in Playa del Carmen, where our Feeding the Future project operates, many of these children rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition. For some, it may be the only meal they receive all day. This reality makes the project a lifeline, not only in terms of physical sustenance but also in helping these children develop the focus and energy they need to thrive.

Good nutrition is directly linked to better concentration, memory, and overall school performance. When children are hungry, they struggle to pay attention in class, often falling behind in their studies. This affects not only their academic success but also their future opportunities. Feeding the Future ensures that these children have the foundation they need to excel in school, which can ultimately lead to breaking the cycle of poverty they are born into.