Past Fundraising Programs

The Grains Foundation raises $8,600 to help the Pixabaj Free School for Children in Sololá, Guatamala stay open.

The city of Sololá, Guatemala, with a population of less than 15,000, has one of the highest poverty rates in the entire country – a country where the average family has an income of $227 (U.S.) per month and 70 percent of the population lives on less than $2 per day.

Nearly 40 percent of families in Sololá have no means to provide for their children's education, as families must choose between education and food. Other families give up their children for adoption because they feel they have no other choice.

The difficulty facing the children families of Sololá moved The Grains Foundation to act - to get involved and help during the U.S. Grains Council's marketing and membership meeting held in Guatemala earlier this year.

The Grains Foundation is a non-profit organization that further carries forward the Council's mission to improve people's lives by promoting open trade and market development. It also emphasizes educational programs and economic development, two key pillars to lifting people out of poverty.

"The Foundation is a way for Council members and other supporters to give back on a global Guatemalascale and to make a real difference in people's lives," said Ken Hobbie, president and executive director of The Foundation. Hobbie is also the Council's president and CEO.

"We look at The Foundation as a bridge – a bridge that brings together everyone the Council, from members to customers, to promote value, opportunity and understanding," he said.

As the Council prepared for its meeting in Guatemala, it learned about the Pixabaj free school for children in Sololá. The school was founded by Carlos Nevarez, a philanthropist from Puerto Rico who was inspired by previous work he did in Guatemala.

The Pixabaj school, with 260 students, was having difficulty securing donations to stay open. To help fill the funding gap, The Grains Foundation raised $8,600 and presented the money during the Council's meeting there this year. The Foundation also donated a number of school supplies.

"The Grains Foundation was established to assist the U.S. Grains Council in accomplishing its mission of improving lives," said Dale Artho, Foundation chairman. "By lending a hand, we assist in equipping young people with the skills needed to be leaders in their respective countries."