We are proud members of Pack for a Purpose, an initiative that gives our guests the opportunity to make a lasting impact in our community, Placencia Belize.
We became associated with Pack for a Purpose 2 and ½ years ago and we have received excellent feedback from our guests about how excited they are to not only see us supporting our local community through our participation, but making it so easy for them to participate as well.
Belize is a country with minimum resources in some areas and one of those is education support. One of our greatest missions is to support the youth in our community, so when we discovered “Pack for a Purpose” and all the support that comes from them, we knew we had hit a home run. They made it easy for us to broadcast this “giving back” initiative and, as a result, we regularly have guests who bring items with them and do they ever enjoy personally delivering them. Of course, the children and the teachers at St. John’s Memorial School are thrilled to receive the supplies.
Our other initiative is the Placencia Humane Society. We selected them, along with our elementary school, when we joined Pack for a Purpose, because Belize is such an eco-driven society and destination for the visitors to our beautiful country. And how do the dogs and cats that our Humane Society assists fit into eco-driven initiatives? Once again we learned many years ago that there were many gaps in the knowledge and ability of the locals to sustain a good home for their domestic animals. Strays became common place and impacted the environment and the daily life of our residents. We just couldn’t turn our backs on this problem. We met with the local Humane Society workers and quickly realized how much they were struggling for resources. It became a natural connection for us to help however we could.
PHS began searching for a permanent home, while continuing to carry on its monthly clinic, feral cat, adoption and rescue, and children’s education programs. PHS now has a small clinic building on the property that includes an air conditioned surgical and examination room, storage, and is equipped with basic office necessities and a small waiting area — all the comforts of home!
PHS has used this clinic building to expand its reach into the neighboring communities of Santa Cruz, Georgetown and Independence, to provide spays and neuters services to local residents, and to work with visiting veterinarian groups to reach more pet owners with basic veterinary care.
Participating in the Pack for a Purpose program is a win – win – win. A win for the children and teachers, along with our domestic animals, a win for the donors who get so much joy in meeting with and delivering their donations, and a win for us as a local business, helping us to meet our mission to give back to our community here in Placencia Belize.