ABOUT
Central American Relief Efforts

Central American Relief Efforts is a Lancaster, PA-based humanitarian aid organization that provides resources, food, projects and medical treatment in southern Honduras. Our work zone is the poorest region of the country in one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere.

 

C.A.R.E. was registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2007, and we have been working with our network of community leaders and political contacts in the country to maximize our efforts to improve the quality of life for Hondurans.

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Our main focus is on establishing self-sustaining programs that are operated and maintained in Honduras by the communities where we serve. 

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C.A.R.E. also hosts volunteers on week-long medical brigades year round in our work zone mobilizing doctors and dentists to hold clinics that serve rural areas.

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History

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"It has been nearly 20 years since Hurricane Mitch struck Central America. The second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, it devastated Honduras, killing more than 7,000 people.

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After learning of the devastation and the need, Steve Mentzer, of Manheim Township, helped coordinate a medical mission trip to the capital, Tegucigalpa, and the surrounding area. That took place in 2003.

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That mission became his mission. In 2007, Mentzer, who is now a state legislator, founded Central American Relief Efforts, which is based at 301 St. Thomas Road in Manheim Township. The operation has been providing assistance to Honduras ever since"

 * Lancaster Online, May 12; 2018.

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