We sell hand-stitched heirloom quality gifts.  Every item is hand-stitched          

         especially for you, and personalization is free!                        

Pattie has been sewing and giving beautiful hand-stitched gifts to her family and friends for years, and people kept telling her she should go into business, but it wasn't until she and her husband, Glenn, decided to retire to Mexico that she figured out how it could be done.  They moved to a small town near Merida, Yucatan (4 hours west of Cancun), where many of the poor women know how to embroider or do hand-sewing.  With the view in mind of helping these women make some much-needed extra income to help out their families, StitchesBiz was born.  The women earn at least half of the selling price of each item, and they can do the work in their own homes while still caring for their families.  The money they earn goes a long way toward supplying basic needs, and maybe even  a few extras for them.

StitchesBiz is a Christian-owned and operated, non-profit business.

We also administer two educational programs in our small town.  One is a breakfast program in the elementary school.  We feed between 30 and 35 kids breakfast and give them vitamins every school day.  This is a very costly program and donations are always appreciated.

We also have an Adopt-A-Kid program.  You can adopt a student for $125 dollars a year for elementary school, $150 per year for Jr. High (7-9), and $250 per year for High School. This money will provide a student with 2 pants or skirts (uniforms), 3 blouses or shirts, 3 pairs of socks, a pair of new shoes and a backpack containing all of the school supplies needed for the school year.  The kids must have at least an 80% grade average in all their classes.  They will write you a yearly letter and I will send you a photo of them in their new uniform.

In both of these programs, 100% of the money given goes directly to the benefit of the kids. There are NO administrative costs.   I do that for free, and I do all the shopping for both programs

There are links at the bottom of this page for further information and contact.

The children and ladies of Cholul, Yucatan, thank you for your patronage.

Check out the article about us at www.YucatanLiving.com, entitled "Cloning the Apoyo Program".

2008 group of adopted kids

 

  Azucena          Kique, Carla & Lidia                         Dina & her house 

   Eddy                 Feni & Dulce                              Raquel                     Loni

Loni in her "hamaca", the typical bed here.  Veronica is lucky enough to have a gas stove in her cinder block kitchen.  The area to the right, which is her sink, is her only work space.

Most of my ladies are heavy-set due to a diet mostly of black beans and tortillas.