FRIENDS
SUPPORTING
FAMILIES
HELPING TO FEED LOCAL FAMILIES IN NEED THROUGH VOLUNTEER WORK AND DONATIONS
Friends Supporting Families is a community-driven,
not for profit group in Los Barriles BCS, Mexico.
We raise money to buy food for local families in need by creating handmade beaded items and other artisanal goods, which we sell at our local Saturday Market.
Thanks to community support, in 2025 we were able to provide monthly food supplies to 24 local families.
Friends Supporting Families helps to bring consistency, dignity, and hope to those most in need.
Poverty Is A Reality
Poverty is a reality across Mexico, and Baja California Sur is no exception. Just beyond the “Golden Zone” of Los Cabos, many families quietly face daily hardship. It’s common to find two or three generations sharing a single room constructed from salvaged pallets, dirt floors underfoot, and a blue tarp stretched overhead for shelter.
In Los Barriles, a small group of friends saw this need firsthand and came together with one purpose: to understand how they could make a real difference for families struggling to get by. What began as curiosity and compassion grew into a coordinated effort to support their community with dignity, respect, and tangible help.
Our Mission Became Clear
We Went Straight To The DIF To See What Was Needed...
The DIF is the National System for Integral Family Development. It is the Mexican public institution of social assistance.
We met with Maria Flores at the local DIF to understand the most urgent needs in our community. She made it clear that food insecurity is the biggest challenge, especially with no formal welfare program to help local families. When we asked for specifics, the staff provided a simple list of essential grocery items... what families rely on most.
The Moment Our Mission Became Clear
During our meeting with Maria Flores at the local DIF, a young woman arrived with her infant, asking for food for her and her baby.
We asked one of the DIF staff members to come with us to the store nearby and fill a cart with everything she needed—baby formula, diapers, food, and basic household essentials. We covered the cost and asked that the donation be given to her anonymously. That moment made our mission unmistakably clear: we were here to help feed people.
Friends Supporting Families Was Formed
Our group began gathering weekly in August 2022 with a shared purpose: to find creative, sustainable ways to raise funds for local families in need.
Those meetings quickly grew into lively brainstorming sessions, filled with ideas, sketches, and plenty of trial and error as we explored what we could make with the resources we had.
From Humble Beginnings
A turning point came when my sister donated several boxes of unwanted beads—boxes full of color, texture, and potential. What started as leftover craft supplies suddenly felt like an opportunity. We decided to transform those beads into handmade items that carried both beauty and meaning, each piece created with care and the hope of helping a family facing hardship.
Week after week volunteers gathered around tables, stringing beads, sharing stories, and building momentum toward our first sales. By November 2022, we were ready for the Los Barriles Saturday Market, where we launched our handmade goods to raise funds dedicated to providing basic support for families in our community.
What began as a simple idea—friends coming together to make a difference—had become a coordinated effort rooted in creativity, compassion, and commitment to helping Los Barriles families in a tangible way.
Friends Supporting Families... Working to feed local families in need.
Imagine Being Hungry
Every Friends Supporting Families Food Box is filled with nutritious foods and toiletries for families in need. Each food box costs about $625 Pesos (aprox. $35USD) and can help to feed a family in need for about one month.
Food is collected throughout the month then divided throughout the food boxes. At the end of the month the food boxes are taken to the DIF and placed into the "food pantry" for distribution by the DIF.
Friends Supporting Families has no decision on which local families receive a Food Box.
In this way, our Mexican neighbors are receiving the vital food assistance they need... directly from the DIF, helping to preserve dignity and respect.
FSF Food Box
Every FSF Food Box is packed with the essentials a local family can use immediately. Items like flour, sugar, beans, salt, lentils, maize, milk, cereal and more. Each month, we also include basic toiletries like shampoo, bar soap, toothpaste, and toilet paper. These are everyday items many of us barely think about, but for families in need, they make a real difference.
You can support this effort by sponsoring an FSF Food Box or making a general donation to help purchase these supplies. Every contribution directly impacts a family right here in our community.
Friends Supporting Families... Working to feed local families in need
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Coming Together To Make A Real Difference In Our Community
Support Us Here
Your kindness helps put food on the table for families who are doing their best with very little. Every donation—big or small—brings immediate relief and reminds someone that their community cares. Scan the QR code below to give through Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle, and know that your generosity truly matters.
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Thank you for standing with us. Your generosity brings hope, dignity, and real support to families who need it most. We’re deeply grateful for every person who chooses to help.
Contact Us
Click the button below to contact us—whether you’re interested in volunteering, have questions about donating, or anything else. We’re here and ready to help however we can.