Tamale Christmas
In Costa Rica one of the most time-honored and much-loved holiday traditions is Christmas tamales, a dish of seasoned meat and cornmeal dough wrapped in banana leaves, to share as gifts for family and friends.
| Sharing Tradition and Nourishment with Families in Need
For families struggling with the realities of food insecurity, however, being able to participate in this special holiday ritual is difficult, to say the least.
To help with this challenge, each year CAA partners with Faithful Servant Mission, a local organization that focuses on the needs of families in Bajo Tejares, a particularly impoverished section of the city, to bring “Tamale Christmas” to those in that community who are not able to do it for themselves. Through its food security fundraising, CAA provides the funds to purchase the tamale ingredients and CAA volunteers and Mission staff and volunteers work together for a day to prepare the over 800 tamales that will be distributed to local families.
Because of CAA’s financial assistance and volunteer help, impoverished families of Bajo Tejares can continue to enjoy this special holiday tradition that signifies family, celebration, and community.
