The Baja Gifts Program started it’s own journey 20 years ago. It started with a few of us donating money and gifts to schools and families in the communities we visit on the expeditions. We had mentioned what we were doing to a few of the teachers participating in the Panterra Young Naturalist Expeditions in 2001. The teachers were inspired enough to get their classes involved. The response was incredible!
The program has grown from a few of us donating money to the donation of suitcases upon suitcases of clothing and school supplies. Each year we donate a few hundred gift bags, blankets, suitcases of clothing, school supplies, and First Aid supplies to remote communities in the islands and on the peninsula. It is amazing to experience what a small gesture can do to make a huge difference to the recipients of the gifts.
Since then and on most of our trips now, Panterra participants fill a shoe box with gifts such as toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, soap), school supplies (pens, pencils, rulers, notebooks, binders, binder paper) and toys. The shoe boxes are brought down on the trip and distributed to various schools and communities the groups visit.
You do not have to go on one of our trips to be a participant in the gifts program. We will kindly accept your material donations, where possible, and distribute it on your behalf. We will take pictures and record the recipients receiving your gifts. We have schools, families and individuals who participate in the program.
Monetary donations can be made through:
Your group or as an individual can collect the following items to donate:
Some airlines allow for a free humanitarian bag. Airlines such as Westjet (Canada), Panterra’s airline of choice, allows each guest to check in one cost-free humanitarian bag. The suitcases of supplies travel with the person or group and will then be donated during your trip to local communities and/or schools.
The expedition started when we recognized that remote communities did not have access to medical / dental services and we spent many years treating and donating our ships first aid supplies to the various communities.
On this expedition we work with doctors, dentists, optometrist and even hairdressers to administer cost-free healthcare services to communities who would not receive the services otherwise.
If you have a family doctor, dentist or optometrist who would like to contribute first aid supplies, dental hygiene products or eyeglasses whether new or used, the donations will be delivered to the many communities we visit or to communities that we hear are in need of the supplies.
You don’t have to go on one of our trips to be a participant in the gifts program. Where possible, we will accept material donations (first supplies, school supplies, etc) and distribute on your behalf. Monetary donations can also be made through:
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