Insights from Continental Fresh’s Latin America Water Relief Efforts

MIAMI, FL — Since 2020, Continental Fresh, the produce importer where I serve as CEO, has put time, effort, funds and passion into its mission to help communities in Latin America that need clean water and sanitation.

Our fundraising work continues throughout the year, where a portion of every Water For All produce sale goes to water and sanitation infrastructure projects built by BLUE Missions.

With the help of BLUE Missions as well as other organizations, we’re helping to do the work of bringing clean water to the world. We put feet on the ground and shovels in hands, and make change, one project at a time.

This summer, we did just that. Through my own 501(3)(c) non-profit, LIFO Missions (Living Instruments For Others), twenty-seven volunteers and I made a three-hour trip from Santiago, Dominican Republic, to Jicomé de Moncion, a small community in the Northwestern part of the country. The village, nestled in the beautiful countryside, needed clean running water. The work ahead was hard, but more hands made it easy.

Small steps, when taken together, can make great change. It’s become a theme that I’ve embraced for more than 40 years. It started with a service trip, taken with my friend, Alfred Consuegra. We were just 16 years old, but that event made a change in our hearts. We were inspired to do more, and together we founded LIFO Missions in 1985.

After founding LIFO Missions, my work in produce led me to Continental Fresh. Our work with growers—many of whom did not have running water in their communities—inspired our Water For All mission and produce label. One course of action led to another, which led us to Jicomé.

We were there to build a reservoir tank that would hold more than 18,000 gallons for the village. In less than two weeks, volunteers ran water lines, glued and buried more than 400 PVC pipes, and even held a medical and dental clinic held over three days. This event included 290 general and dental consultations.

Those numbers sound daunting, but twenty-seven hands—and help from the community—made it a light, joyful journey. Instead of racing to the end of a project, excitement pushed us ahead.

Every action starts simply, and the resulting change grows exponentially. When projects are complete, the communities spend less time securing the day’s water, and they find more hours for education, economic and municipal development, family and recreation. We couldn’t wait to launch a new beginning for people in Jicomé de Moncion. The people in the community were excited, too.

Together, we got it done, and our volunteers came away with a new understanding of the magnitude of the water crisis. More importantly, they made a difference.

As a no-overhead organization, all donations to LIFO go to purchase building supplies, so our volunteers did all of this while paying their own travel expenses.

The team came back changed and inspired to do more. After returning home, Gabe Bernal, vice president of Seasons Farm Fresh, told me this:

“This trip was nothing short of a life-changing experience for me. Your personal struggles seem millions of miles away when you see how others live and what pains they are going through. I can go on forever, but my main takeaway is that anyone who needs a fresh perspective on their own lives should take part in this.”

Eric Nagelberg, president of Panorama Produce Sales brought along his son, Max. He’s a high school student who volunteered for the project after he spent the summer at Panorama as an intern.

“This was an incredibly special trip,” said Eric. “In addition to bringing running water to a town that needed it, we also spent a week with an incredibly warm and fun group of people that now feels like a family.”

“This eye-opening trip allowed me to not only create great connections with amazing people but also gave me the opportunity to help people in a way that hopefully left an impact on their lives,” said Max. “And that is something that will stay with me forever.”

Patrick Kelly, founder of Aglife Media, Inc., has participated in several trips like the one in Jicomé.

“For half a decade, joining Continental Fresh in the Dominican Republic has been one of the most meaningful parts of my year,” said Patrick. “Every visit reminds me why this mission matters and why I keep coming back.”

You’ll notice that our volunteers are not just Continental Fresh employees and affiliates. We represent different businesses and perspectives in the industry. Some of us even compete in the marketplace. This is more than a marketing initiative for Continental Fesh. For me, it’s a call to the industry. To gather together and share in a mission that makes a difference, whether it’s joining the Water For All mission, participating in other initiatives, or starting your own.

Just start somewhere.

My goal with Continental Fresh and working with organizations like LIFO Missions is to make it easy to make a difference. Some people spend eight days digging, gluing pipes and pouring concrete. Others buy a box of mangos. We all make an impact together. Every step matters. Every action inspires.

I can’t wait to see where we can go and what we can achieve as an industry. Not sure where to begin? I’d be happy to join you on a Water For All trip.

About Continental Fresh LLC

Continental Fresh, LLC, is a grower, shipper and importer of fresh fruits and vegetables from Latin America, specializing in tropical produce for retail, foodservice and wholesale customers across the U.S. market. The company has connected dependable growers with reputable buyers and is backed by a team with more than 80 years of combined importing experience.

As a produce partner, Continental Fresh provides buyers with extensive import knowledge, regular forecasting and market updates, plus products that are delivered on time and in peak condition. As a company with a purpose, it works to do more. Through its Water For All label, a portion of proceeds is donated BLUE Missions for clean water and sanitation projects in Latin America. One hundred percent of program contributions fund the material costs of gravity-fed aqueducts that connect every home with a working faucet.