Volunteers take a “hands-on” approach: FedEx helps Food For The Poor build homes in Central America

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 16, 2012) FedEx Corporation has teamed up with Food For The Poor for the first time and donated enough funds to build 12 two-room homes – six in Honduras and six in Nicaragua. 

The unique aspect of this partnership is that FedEx contractors who work in offices based in these Central American countries volunteered their time and helped with the construction and painting of these homes.

Founded in 1971 as the Federal Express Corporation, FedEx now operates in more than 200 countries. No stranger to giving back, FedEx has a history of donating funds and resources following natural disasters in the United States and abroad. Food For The Poor has a long history in Central America and feels a sense of relief that these new homes have been completed before the start of hurricane season, which was June 1. 

“We began serving in Honduras in 1999, one year after it was devastated by Hurricane Mitch, and we’ve been serving in Nicaragua since 1998. To have a corporation such as FedEx provide the financial support for us to build these homes for deserving families is wonderful, and we’re truly grateful,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

Recipients of the houses in Honduras also helped in the building process of their new homes, which were constructed just outside the city of San Pedro Sula. In Nicaragua, the new homeowners in the town of Quezalguaque helped with the painting of their houses.

Each home has two rooms, a living space, indoor sanitation and a water cistern to collect rain water for laundry and other household uses. The structures are built on a cement foundation and are topped with sturdy zinc roofs.  To date, Food For The Poor has built:

·         5,145 homes in Honduras

·         14,110 homes in Nicaragua

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. 

Contact:
Wanda Wright
Director of Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.org