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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , D ec em be r 2 , 2 01 0 1 0 By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF An Oakville couple is asking res- idents to indulge in a little Nicaraguan coffee and in so doing bring nutritious food to children in need. Greg and Lois Munz are mem- bers of the St. Catharines Christ Lutheran Church, whose congre- gation has been providing aid to the less fortunate in the Matagalpa and Jinotega communities of Nicaragua for the past few years. For the past 18 months, the church has organized a weekly chil- drens lunch program in Jinotega to provide 25 children with food they normally would not be able to access, like boiled chicken. These children are very poor, said Greg. This at least provides them with one nourishing meal for the week. To keep this lunch program running, the Munz church is working with a family-run coffee plantation in the area, which has ties to Canada. These plantation owners, the Faillos Family, appreciate what Greg and Lois church is trying to do for the people of Nicaragua and they have agreed to sell church members like Greg and Lois their coffee at a reduced price, so they can sell it at a higher price and use the profit for the lunch program. Gregs involvement in Nicaragua began in 2006 when he assisted members of the congrega- tion with building a makeshift church in the Matagalpa area. On a second trip, Greg helped organize the building and renova- tion of homes for poor families in the Jinotega area. Greg said for projects like these the church would raise money in Canada and then hire local con- tractors in Nicaragua to do the work. This way the local economy is stimulated and area residents are provided with work. Those benefiting from the reno- vation projects are among the poorest people in Nicaragua. Greg remembers one family the church helped with a renovation. In this one house, these people had a dirt floor and in the rainy sea- son they would be walking ankle deep in their home in muck, said Greg. They (the church) put in a con- crete floor and block walls and modified the ditch across the front of the house so the water would not run into it. This familys personal health improved greatly after this. Lois said she would bring puz- zles and puppet-making materials for local children. These children also created beanbags to play with using the material Lois purchased locally. These toys were deeply appreci- ated, Lois said, because for many of these children a stick or piece of wire and a lot of imagination are all they have to play with. During one of these trips, Greg and Lois also met the Faillos fami- ly, the owners of the coffee planta- tion. This family ships the dried cof- fee beans from their plantation to their daughters roasting and dis- tribution facility, Las Chicas del Cafn London, Ontario. The Munz family became aware the Faillos familys coffee planta- tion was in the area after seeing a CBC interview with the daughter in Canada. What they do with their coffee business is they use some of their profits to help the local communi- ty, said Lois. They supported one existing school by buying back- packs and uniforms. Lois said the Faillos family also built a two-room nursery school, so the older children would not have to stay home and look after their younger siblings. Upon visiting the plantation, Greg and Lois said they were well received by the Faillos family, who agreed to help them with their churchs weekly lunch program. Its a relationship that weve built through basically just being interested in similar thingstry- ing to do something for the com- munity, said Greg. Theyre doing it through their business for their community. Were doing it through our church for other communities. While Nicaragua remains the second poorest country in the western hemisphere with many in need, Greg said it is important to him and Lois to offer help where they can. You just cant look at whats there and not respond, he said. The Nicaraguan coffee, which is being used to fund the food pro- gram, costs $14 per pound. For more information about making a purchase, contact Lois Munz at lamunz@sympatico.ca. Oakville couple sell coffee to help Nicaraguan villagers SUPPLIED PHOTO GREETINGS: Lois Munz ex- changes a high five with a child in a Nicaraguan village. Lois and Greg Munz with friends.