Photo by Sheryl Bearman during a volunteer project to bring food to remote locations in Panama.
Art Projects & Community Outreach

Food Donations Are Delivered!

Photo by Sheryl Bearman during a volunteer project to bring food to remote locations in Panama.
Happy Faces & Welcoming Smiles

This Is Why We Help!

Food insecurity is at an all time high everywhere in the world. Between mandatory quarantines and shelter in place orders, people have lost jobs, business and so much more. Many programs are being developed to serve city and rural populations and their growing needs to feed people.

In a remote section of Panama, where I currently live, food donations programs help to feed those in need. Local residents are stepping up with donations. and others help to provide transportation and delivery to very remote communities. Some locations, here on the Caribbean coast are only accessible by boat.

Cayucos are the main source of transportation for many people living on the water.
Cayucos are the main source of transportation for many people living on the coast.

There are many steps and volunteers in this process as I soon learned. Collecting both funds and food donations is just the first. in many important steps to achieving a successful delivery.

On this delivery day, the goal was to supply food to the most needy residents of remote villages, who might otherwise go hungry. My contribution to this community effort was supplying the gas and the use of my boat.

The food was delivered to the boat on Isla Colon by one of the local stores. We then loaded the items for the 45 minute trip to our first of two delivery locations.

Photo by Sheryl Bearman during a volunteer project to bring food to remote locations in Panama.

The First Stop.

Distribution to volunteers who will then hand deliver the food by boat directly to families in the remote indigenous community.

Photo by Sheryl Bearman during a volunteer project to bring food to remote locations in Panama.

Everyone lends a helping hand.

Boys playing

Smiling faces meet us at the community dock.

This second stop, only accessible by boat, was even more remote and about 15 minutes further along the coast.

After the food was unloaded we visited for a while with the residents. As we chatted and snapped photos, you could sense the closeness and warmth in the village. As we got ready to leave, the community leader offers us thanks and a traditional blessing.

I have been living in Bocas del Toro for 4 years now, and every visit, every contact, every chance I have to get to know the Panamanians is an incredible and meaningful experience.

This project was organized by The Darklands Foundation, a wonderful organization here in Bocas del Toro, Panama. If you would like more information about this program or the other outreach programs they are involved with visit their website.

Meet The Author

Sheryl & Lili

My name is Sheryl Bearman and I live off the grid on a remote island in the Panamanian jungle. Leaving a small green footprint and using renewable energy is important to my husband and I. We also collect our rain water through a staged filter system.

I am active in the community and enjoy volunteering and teaching. I have taught some painting classes and have worked on art projects with the children in my community.

I have 2 dogs and 2 cats and enjoy snorkeling and diving. My current projects are writing and illustrating children’s picture books and creating driftwood paintings. I have recently started making gourd lamps as well.

You can find out more about my books and illustrations at Picture Book Island. My tropical art can be viewed on my gallery website, Bocas Artist.

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