El Salvador Mission Trip

The Why

I grew up in a third-world country where resources were very limited, especially for the poorest portion of the population. I had seen and met street kids who were suffering with malnutrition, pleading and begging for money to buy food. These are images that I cannot get out of my head. For years, I was looking for a way to make a dent in this injustice. I sponsored kids and volunteered at various homeless shelters… but none of this was satisfying my deep desire to help first-hand.

So when it was time to rebrand our physician-monitored weight loss company, I knew it was time to go in a charitable direction. We made it our mission that for every pound of fat our patients lose on our program, we will donate $1 to feed hungry children around the world. This can add up, as an average female loses 2 pounds, and an average male loses 5 pounds every week!  

The Experience

Our first mission trip was to El Salvador. We visited an orphanage with over 200 undernourished kids with disabilities. Almost every child needed medical care to survive, and government funding was nonexistent. It was certainly a humbling experience. We took hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies, donated over $1,000 for food, fed them and played with them. There, I met a 20 year old, who had lived in this orphanage since it’s inception eighteen years ago. He was abandoned on the streets because of polio. He was extremely intelligent. He taught himself how to speak English, Italian, and French. He told me he was studying business on his own, because “university is expensive”.

And Now What…

There are thousands of underfunded orphanages around the world, and millions of sick, hungry and undernourished children hoping for better tomorrows. I am just one person trying to make a difference, but I need all of you to take this journey with me. Whether its through direct donations or our weight loss program, it is our duty to help these children fulfill one simple wish. To survive and live a life of hope.