Balsam Hill has been working closely with us since 2014 so we’ve become one big happy family. The company has supported NVC in so many ways from Mingo Meals and Love Bags to Peter Project boats and other livelihood tools.
Because the company specializes in Christmas décor, it’s no surprise that its employees embrace the true spirit of Christmas all year round. The employees held a fundraiser in July and the company added to the amount raised. They turned over an impressive amount which will be used to support our Nutrition and Livelihood programs.
Balsam sponsored a recent shipment of Mingo Meals for the village of Glab. We first began working with this village in Zamboanga del Sur after reading about a boy named Jonathan. He was a 12-year-old villager who died of malnutrition. These Mingo Meals will help keep the children of the village well fed so that no other child will suffer the same fate as Jonathan.
The Mingo Meals were delivered to Glab in early September. The journey from Pagadian, the nearest city up to the village took a long time. We would like to thank the countless community volunteers as well as the members of the 53rd Infantry Battalion who have been our regular delivery partners when we have projects in the area. Our hearts also go out to the 547th Army Engineers who have become our newest partners in this endeavor.
The remainder of the funds raised will be used to improve and expand our Gardens of Hope. We began this urban food security initiative during the Covid pandemic. This project allows people with access to a small patch of land to grow their own food and even earn from selling what they cannot consume.
Balsam Hill will help NVC will its first two Gardens of Hope. In addition to that, they will support the fledgling Garden of Hope in the village of Glab. Jet Orbida of Peace Pond, one of our partners for this project, has a lot of knowledge, love and dedication for the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines. He recently taught the families of Glab basics of good farming and the production of natural fertilizers and pesticides. The provision from Balsam Hill will support other project requirements such as the seeds, tools and equipment the village will need until their operations are self-sufficient.
At the end of August, Lindsay Shrum, Balsam’s VP for Accounting and Finance, and her husband Bill came over to Negros to check on some of our operations. We toured them around our production plant in which we make our Mingo Meals and other food products. They also got to visit one of our Gardens of Hope.
