It Took a Partnership to Build a Box
Ice in a Box exists because three organizations — each expert in a different part of the problem — chose to work together.
Comepesca
Founded in 2003, COMEPESCA (Consejo Mexicano de Promoción de los Productos Pesqueros y Acuícolas) is a nonprofit association uniting more than twenty years of work across Mexico’s fishing and aquaculture sectors. Through its #PescaConFuturo movement, Comepesca promotes the responsible, sustainable, and traceable consumption of Mexican seafood — connecting producers, chefs, markets, and management authorities around a shared vision for the blue economy.
It was Luis Bourillón, Comepesca’s Director of Sustainability and Special Projects, who brought San Evaristo’s story to Steve Bender at a Comepesca-hosted Sustainable Ocean Conference — the conversation that started Ice in a Box.
GivePower
GivePower is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs and deploys solar-powered solutions — including its signature Solar Water Farms — in communities across roughly 32 countries. GivePower’s work has helped improve the lives of more than 2.7 million people and delivered over 530 million liters of clean water, earning recognition including the Energy Globe Award and Global Water Award.
Steve reached out to his longtime friends at GivePower for their years of solar-desalination expertise — and their ability to actually fabricate the Ice in a Box unit at their facility in Austin, Texas, before it’s shipped to Mexico.
Rotary
Ice in a Box is a priority initiative for the 2026–2027 Rotary Year, backed by Rotary’s global network of clubs and local partners. Steve Bender serves as President of the Rotary Club of Newport Beach and directs the Environmental and Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) for Western North America — the same “box” lineage that includes Doc in a Box, Dental in a Box, Vision in a Box, and now Ice in a Box.
Partner organizations and Rotary clubs are welcome
As the pilot program grows beyond San Evaristo, Comepesca, GivePower, and Rotary are looking for additional partners to help bring Ice in a Box to more communities.