What if you could make a big difference in the lives of the poor by making a small sacrifice? You can. Your small sacrifices can help our parish’s sister community in Valle Verde, El Salvador. Our parish leaders and the Global Solidarity Committee invite you to contribute your Lenten sacrifice this year to our partnership with the people of Valle Verde. This year’s contributions go toward purchasing goats for 40 families. Each family is trained in goat-raising management. The goats will provide each family milk, cheese, and baby goats for meat or sale. These goats are the means to adequate nutrition for the children and adults of Valle Verde. The Families have the choice of creating a micro business for income and the ability to begin to break the cycle of poverty. Families in other places have gone from poverty to being nearly self-supporting by raising and selling goats. But they can’t do it alone. Your help is necessary. Remember the story of the starfish. A young boy walking the beach one morning noticed an old man picking up a starfish and flinging them into the sea. When he caught up to the man, the boy asked him why he was doing this. The old man explained that starfish stranded on the beach would die if they were left in the morning sun. “But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish,” the boy exclaimed. “How can your effort make any difference?” The old man looked at the starfish in his hand and threw it into the waves. “It makes a difference to this one,” he said. We’re calling this year’s Lenten program Operation Starfish to remind us that our small sacrifices make a big difference when we use them for one purpose. Our purpose is to collaborate with our friends and partners in Valle Verde in their effort to restore their dignity by providing proper nutrition and income opportunities. We do this because our faith leads us to see the face of Christ in the poorest of the poor.

By simply contributing $5 each day during the 40 days of Lent, your family would be providing a pregnant goat that is properly vaccinated to a family in Valle Verde. That represents a cup of coffee, a movie ticket or an ice cream cone to us, but to families in Valle Verde, it is a MIRACLE. Operation Starfish boxes are in the church gathering area for you. Take one home, decide as a family what you can give, and bring the boxes back Palm Sunday. Members of the Global Solidarity Ministry are available to answer questions after liturgy Sundays during Lent. The figures below convey what your contributions can accomplish: Goat Farm: Goats$169 Goat Farm: Vaccinations & Medications$25 Goat Farm: Training Sessions$750 Single Unit of a Double House$3,200 Double House with Sanitation$6,400 Vocational Workshop: Roofing Materials$35 Library: Desk$120 Library: Bookshelf$100 Library or Community Center: 7 Chairs$50 For more information, contact Lauren Burruto at Operation Starfish is a Food For The Poor program, used with permission.