Coronavirus Food Drive April 24, 2020

As has been well documented, Costa Rica has been one the leaders in the world with their handling of the COVID-19. In the future, they will use this amazing little country as the poster child for how to handle a Pandemic. We are very proud of how the Ticos have responded and worked together in these very challenging times. But as everyone knows, this country relies tremendously on tourism, and with the complete shutdown of foreigners being allowed to enter, it has had a drastic effect on people’s lives and livelihood. Many families are struggling to put meals on the table, so many organizations have jumped into action, delivering food and necessities to the most needy. The government has implemented care package deliveries through the local schools, and many towns have organized food drop off locations. Tank Tops Flip Flops has been helping local charities since its conception, and we have appreciated all the support that you have shown.

We need your help again. With the assistance of Patas Y Manos, and the local police departments we are able to take food directly to the homes of the neediest. In our first caravan, we delivered food to over 600 people. What an incredible day. Out of respect to the families, we chose not to take any photos or videos of the individuals receiving the packages, but trust me when I tell you, these people needed our help. Many of them are living on dirt floors, with absolutely no way to making a living right now. I cannot begin to tell you how many people had tears in their eyes, when we knocked on their door.

Costa Rica or New York?

We came across an extremely well done and informative video that shows the very different Covid-19 responses between New York City and Costa Rica.  As you will see – As of now – Costa Rica has had far more success than New York in keeping the number of people out of hospitals and more importantly keep the number of deaths down.

The author of the video is José Cayasso (commonly known as Caya).  Caya is a Costa Rican graphics designer and entrepreneur as well as the CEO of Slidebean.  He has deep roots in both Costa Rica and New York and now lives in Costa Rica full time.