Gunther Motor Co. Builds Homes in Guatemala
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Sept. 10, 2019) Families in desperate need of safe shelter in Los Pirires, Guatemala, soon will see their dreams of having their own homes come true, thanks to the generosity of Gunther Motor Co.
As part of its May GiveBack Campaign, Gunther Motor Co. donated $50 to Food For The Poor for every car purchased or leased at all its South Florida Gunther dealerships during the month of May.
Volvo matched the donation for cars purchased or leased from Gunther’s new Volvo dealership in Coconut Creek and its existing dealership in Delray Beach.
They raised enough money to build 11 homes.
Rob Klein, General Manager of Gunther Volvo Cars Coconut Creek and Gunther Volkswagen Coconut Creek, presented a check to Food For The Poor on Thursday.
Klein said one of Gunther’s greatest opportunities as a local business is to give back to the community.
“It’s difficult to see the conditions these families are living in,” Klein said. “We know that we’re very fortunate. We’re grateful for the opportunity to make a difference and help to finish a community and build something that’s going to be there forever for these people.”
Gunther Motor Co. is a longtime donor to Food For The Poor, whose headquarters have been based in Coconut Creek for the past 12 years. Food For The Poor Executive Vice President Ed Raine thanked Gunther Motor Co. and Volvo for helping to move families into safe, secure homes and transforming their lives.
“You’re doing something wonderful to help the poor,” Raine said. “This is an amazing gift.”
The new homes are under construction and should be finished before Christmas. They will be part of a larger development of 30 homes that will have access to clean water and sanitation plus eco-stoves and a health center.
Most homes in the remote community of Los Pirires are built with scraps, poles holding up the roofs and anything that can be stuffed into holes in the walls to create makeshift insulation. Inside, the floors are dirt and there’s usually only one room where everyone congregates to cook, eat, sleep and seek refuge from the rain.
The cold, rain and dust easily penetrate the flimsy walls, causing respiratory illnesses, especially in children.
Raine, who traveled to Guatemala earlier this year, said many families must endure smoke from indoor stoves used for cooking. “The smoke from the fire burns all day long,” Raine said. “This is the environment they’re living in. Just imagine how bad these conditions are.”
Raine said partnerships and relationships with the business community are important to Food For The Poor not only to leverage resources but to bring attention to what needs to be done to lift destitute families out of poverty.
“It takes a village to be able to solve these problems,” Raine said. “It’s not about one individual. It’s about groups and communities all coming together to help other communities.”
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for orphaned or abandoned children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Michael Turnbell
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
[email protected]