Monday, December 22, 2014

Christmas Special

Food For The Poor Releases Nonviolent Prisoners in Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and Honduras

Food For The Poor has released 68 prisoners who have committed nonviolent offenses in four countries.
Seventeen prisoners were released from St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on Dec. 10.

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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Dec. 22, 2014) – Food For The Poor has released 68 prisoners who have committed nonviolent offenses in Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and Honduras in time to spend Christmas with their families. The nonviolent prisoners were incarcerated due to their inability to pay required fines.

“There are large numbers of desperate people who are locked in jail that have been forgotten because they stole whatever they could to try to feed their hungry families,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO. “It is a serious situation. The Gospel message strengthens and reminds us to give a hand up to others who dwell in darkness.”

Seventeen prisoners were released from St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on Dec. 10. One of the inmates was a 45-year-old barber from Kingston, Jamaica. On Dec. 9, bailiffs took him from his shop because he had breached the Debtors Act, an offense that warrants 14 days in prison. As a barber, and the father of three, he found it difficult to continue to pay the back-log in rent when his business slowed. One of his last payments was made in November.

“It happened so quickly, I was not even allowed to call or talk to anyone,” said the inmate. “When I came here, I begged an officer for a call and contacted my wife and explained the situation. I begged her not to tell my children, especially my daughter in high school, because it would devastate her.

“I prayed the whole night because I am the breadwinner for the family and I didn’t know what was going to happen to them. I said ‘God, is this a trial that You are putting me through to make me develop, or is this a way to teach me a lesson? I know You are real, and You have never failed me yet’.”

Call it a Christmas miracle, but by morning the inmate’s prayer had been answered. Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry team had intervened and paid the nonviolent prisoners’ outstanding fines, granting them an early release. 

“People ask how I am so lucky, but I know God is powerful. I know He answered my prayer by sending angels this morning,” said the inmate. “I know that God was going to take care of me. Water came to my eyes this morning in the chapel when the gentlemen from Food For The Poor said that we must give the gift of forgiveness to our enemies and that is what I plan to do.” 

On Dec. 16, nine nonviolent prisoners were offered second chances when they were released from three prisons in Guyana. One of the prisoners celebrated his 42nd birthday the same day he was unexpectedly released from prison.

“I am very thankful and grateful to Food For The Poor,” said the inmate, who plans to return to work as a welder. “It is a blessing to me since today is my birthday. I wish you all the best. God bless you all. It was a pleasant surprise to me.”

In developing countries, the destitute sometimes have no way to feed their families other than to steal food. The consequence often is imprisonment, without first appearing before a judge, or receiving a prison sentence.

Prison conditions are drastically worse in developing countries than they are in the United States. Overcrowded prisons are common, and perpetuate the spread of disease and violence. The potential spread of cholera in Haiti’s prisons remains a concern.

Twice a year – during the Christmas and Easter seasons – it is a Food For The Poor tradition to release nonviolent inmates who have been incarcerated due to their inability to pay the required fines for committing minor offenses.

Since the inception of Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program in 1998, the charity has assisted in freeing, training and reintroducing prisoners back into the community as productive citizens.

Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program is based on the scripture, “…I was in prison and you visited me,” (Matthew 25: 36b).

To support Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program, checks payable to Food For The Poor can be mailed to 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Fla. 33073. Please include reference number “SC# 74122” to ensure your donation is correctly routed.

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 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Two Charities’ Teamwork

Two Charities' Teamwork Feeds Millions

Two Charities' Teamwork Feeds Millions
Feed My Starving Children donates almost 200 tractor-trailer loads of rice casserole meals each year to Food For The Poor. This child holds a package of MannaPack, a rice casserole meal of dried vegetables, vitamins and soy. The two charities have been working together since 2008, and thousands of lives have been saved.

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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Dec. 19, 2014) – When the relationship between Feed My Starving Children and Food For The Poor started in 2009, no one anticipated that six years later it would add up to almost 50 million meals a year. But that was the total when the figures were tallied at the end of November 2014.

More than 180 tractor-trailer loads of lifesaving food were donated this year by Feed My Starving Children, and shipped by Food For The Poor to children and families threatened by extreme hunger and malnutrition throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

Matt Muraski has been Vice President of International Programs with Feed My Starving Children since 2006. In that time, the Minnesota-based Christian ministry has grown from nine distribution partners to more than 70.

“Food For The Poor is one of our best partners. At first, it was daunting. Food For The Poor was so big, and we were so small. The partnership started with shipping an initial container to Food For The Poor and grew from there. It’s been built with a lot of trust and personal relationship-building,” Muraski said. “FFP’s efficiency and reach has enabled us to be innovative in food relief delivery.”

While pointing out the amount of food relief delivered and its importance, Muraski also noted the Christian impetus behind the charity's work.

“It’s what we do with the food beyond the bag, the true installation of hope and sharing. It is compassion as God would have it,” Muraski said.

The food is delivered in three forms: MannaPack rice meals with vegetables, vitamins and soy that makes six servings when combined with boiling water; a MannaPack Potato-D mix meant to help with dysentery-like cases; and MannaPack Potato-W that serves as a formula for babies whose mothers are too malnourished to provide adequate breast milk. The bags of dehydrated potatoes are mixed with boiling water, and each one provides 12 servings.

Volunteers pack the food at events around the United States, and the bags add up quickly. One container of bags contains 272,160 meals.

“While we have a very large and efficient Gifts In Kind department, food donations are difficult to come by,” said Mark Khouri, Director of Gifts In Kind at Food For The Poor. “We feed hundreds of thousands of people each day, and when we don’t get food donated, we must purchase it.

The relationship with Feed My Starving Children gives us access to a steady supply of nutritious food. It is literally saving lives.”

When Food For The Poor ships food or goods to those in need, staff often follow up to meet the people who are receiving help. Follow this link to watch how one Guatemalan mother is using MannaPacks to bring her children back to health, www.youtube.com/mannapack

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 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Grant Helps 72K Schoolchildren

Food For The Poor Helps 72,000 Nicaraguan Schoolchildren

The McGovern-Dole Food for Education grant was used to improve the lives of 72,000 school-age children.
The McGovern-Dole Food for Education grant was used to improve the lives of 72,000 school-age children, including providing hot meals in 774 schools in some of the most rural regions of Nicaragua.

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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Dec. 16, 2014) – Life for nearly 72,000 children in some of the most rural regions of Nicaragua has been greatly improved, thanks to a McGovern-Dole Food for Education grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The grant was awarded to Food For The Poor to cover a three-year span from the fall of 2011 to the fall of 2014.

During the three-year period, more than 4,500 metric tons of food have been distributed to the most impoverished communities of the Central American country. The majority of the recipients were school-age children who benefited from the feeding programs in 774 schools, located primarily in Managua, Nueva Segovia and Madriz. The students received a morning snack and a hot meal for lunch each day. Expectant and nursing mothers also benefited from the feeding programs within their communities.

“Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere. This grant has allowed Food For The Poor to provide additional rice, beans, oil, and cereal to thousands of schoolchildren. For many of these students, their only meal of the day is the food they receive while at school, which is why their lunches need to be substantial and nutritious,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “The grant from the USDA has been a blessing. It also has allowed Food For The Poor to provide the participating schools with much-needed upgrades, which will serve students in those communities for many years to come.”

Health and hygiene were also key components of the grant. The installation of 100 latrines and 20 hand washing stations and sinks, along with the repair of 30 school kitchens, have reduced the nutritional deficit in schoolchildren and greatly improved sanitary conditions. School gardens and multi-disciplinary training for parents and teachers were also established, and 71 classrooms received much needed repairs, which have helped to improve the academic benefits of the students.

Food For The Poor has been working in Nicaragua since 1998, partnering with the American Nicaraguan Foundation (ANF) and the Fabretto Children’s Foundation.

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 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Walkathon for Poor

Austin Attorney Walks 500 Miles for the Poor

(L to R) Patrick Hall, Thomas Hall, Conor Hall, Maura Hall on the Camino de Santiago.
(L to R) Patrick Hall, Thomas Hall, Conor Hall, Maura Hall.Their final day's walk into Santiago coincided with a 6-inch downpour. They were drenched, but happy to have completed their walk along the Camino de Santiago.

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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Dec. 15, 2014) – Thomas Hall, an attorney at Braun & Gresham, PLLC in Dripping Springs, Texas, walked the Camino de Santiago, an ancient Christian pilgrimage route in northern Spain, for 37 days to raise money for charity.

Hall’s goal is to raise $30,000 to be donated to Food For The Poor and two other charities. Inspired by Food For The Poor’s mission to bring clean water to those in need, Hall hopes to raise enough money to drill and install two water wells in Haiti.

“The fact that Mr. Hall has walked 500 miles to provide clean water for those who have to walk miles every day in search of water, which is often contaminated, is truly amazing,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “On behalf of the people we serve, we want to sincerely thank Mr. Hall for his generosity.”

Three of Hall’s four children, twin sons Patrick and Conor, age 25, and daughter Maura, 24, joined him on his 500-mile journey. They reunited in Pamplona, Spain, in time to celebrate his 60th birthday.

“Sometimes I would walk with each of my children individually, sometimes the four of us would walk together, and sometimes I needed to walk alone instead of trying to keep up with younger legs,” wrote Hall, who said there is no substitute for that kind of one-on-one time.

“Together we crossed the Alto del Perdon Mountain Range, where a series of iconic iron monuments of medieval pilgrims stand,” wrote Hall on his website. “According to legend, pilgrims who made it this far were assured of their spiritual health in the event of death.”

Conor, a cancer survivor, commemorated the journey by taking a photo next to one of the iron figurines holding a sign that read, “Outliving it!”    

“Legend says that when the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela was being built, pilgrims were asked to contribute by bringing a stone,” wrote Hall, who carried a piece of brown sandstone with a white stripe from the southern shore of Lake Superior, where he grew up. “The tradition is to throw a stone here, brought from the pilgrim's place of origin, symbolizing what the pilgrim leaves behind to prepare for rebirth on the last stage of the Camino.

“Before I left for Spain, I sent out an email with a picture of a stone to family, friends, donors and supporters,” wrote Hall. “Many people added their prayers and intentions to this token. I carried it for all, and laid it down at Cruz de Ferro on your behalf.”

On October 15, Hall completed his 500-mile walk. His pilgrim passport was stamped each day at the hostels where he stayed, and the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago, Spain, confirmed Hall completed the route by issuing a certificate of completion.

Hall also carried a small portion of the cremated remains of his friend, Russell Schreiber, who died of cancer in May. At sunset, Hall released Schreiber's ashes into the sea at Ara Solis, the altar to the sun, to give thanks and mark the end of his pilgrimage.

To help Hall reach his fundraising goal to bring water to those in need, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/caminowalkathon to make a secure donation.

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 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Man to Walk 500 Miles

New Mexico Man Steps Up His Goal in 500-Mile Walk

Daniel Valdez (far right) has spent recent months preparing for his third 500-mile walk from Lovington, N.M., to Chihuahua, Mexico, starting on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. Walking approximately 33 miles a day, sometimes picking up supporters along the way, as seen here.

Daniel Valdez (far right) has spent recent months preparing for his third 500-mile walk from Lovington, N.M., to Chihuahua, Mexico, starting on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. Walking approximately 33 miles a day, sometimes picking up supporters along the way, as seen here.

 

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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Dec. 8, 2014) – When it comes to the hurting, homeless and the hungry in the world, New Mexico resident Daniel Valdez has decided to make their plight his motivation for change. This year, Valdez will walk to provide a very special gift that’s called “Everything for a Family with Nothing” through Food For The Poor.

“I’ve seen homeless people who live on the street and it’s very hard to watch,” Valdez said. “I don’t wish that on anyone, and when I see a homeless family with children, it really breaks my heart.”          

For the third year, Valdez is preparing to embark on an arduous journey that’s becoming an annual event for him, walking 500 miles through more than a dozen U.S. cities, and across the border and into Mexico. The 52-year-old Valdez has spent months preparing for his third 500-mile walk, which will begin on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014, in his hometown of Lovington, New Mexico, and end in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico. 

Valdez’s gift this year will allow Food For The Poor to provide a poor family with a new house with sanitation and water component, rice and beans for a full year, a small business project to help provide a source of income, school supplies for two children (including books and uniforms), clothing and shoes.

“What Mr. Valdez is planning is no easy task, we are sincerely touched by his desire to not only call attention to the needs of the poor, but to help a family who has absolutely nothing,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “One of Food For The Poor’s key projects has been building homes in the countries we serve, and Mr. Valdez’s generosity will allow us to make a world of difference in the lives of a family that is in dire need.”

Following 6 a.m. Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Lovington, Valdez will start walking at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014, in front of the Lea County Courthouse, which is located at 100 North Main Ave., Lovington, NM.

His route covers points in New Mexico and passes through the communities of 1. Lovington, N.M. 2. Hobbs, N.M. 3. Eunice, N.M. 4. Jal, N.M. 5. Kermit, Texas  6.Wink, Texas 7. Pyote, Texas 8. Coyanosa, Texas 9. Alpine, Texas 10. Marfa, Texas 11. Shafter, Texas 12. Presidio, Texas 13. Ojinaga, CH, Mexico 14. Aldama, CH, Mexico 15. Chihuahua, CH, Mexico 16. Delicias, CH, Mexico. To see a video animation of Valdez’s 500-mile journey please click www.FoodForThePoor.org/mapofroute.

This year, Valdez will push the limits of his mission by visiting two additional cities in Mexico, where he will hold two different events. He will travel to Satevo, Chihuahua, where he will do a 10 to15-mile walk, followed by a visit to Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, where he will wrap up his mission with a 5K Run on Jan. 6, 2015, on the festive day of Dia de Reyes (Kings’ Day).

The idea of helping the poor was a decade in the making for Valdez, who has been running in regional races for 10 years. It was during one of these runs from Hobbs, New Mexico, to his hometown of Lovington, with longtime friend and priest, the Rev. Manuel Ibarra, that he felt the call to action. After some encouraging words from his friend and with the support of his wife, four children and his congregation, his first 500-mile walk took place in 2012.

Last year, a portion of the proceeds from Valdez’s second 500-mile walk went toward Food For The Poor’s general feeding program, which provides hundreds of thousands of meals each day to the hungry in the 17 countries the international relief and development organization serves.

“It makes me happy to know there’s hope for people. It is God who made this possible and this is what keeps me going. I never want to quit, because when I think about the needs of the people, I want to help and it drives me to keep going,” said Valdez. “I like helping people, especially the poor. Doing so makes me feel close to God.”

Valdez’s parents will trail him on his journey, driving in the family’s RV, which is where Valdez will sleep at night.

To help Valdez reach his goal, visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/danielvaldez and make a secure online donation.

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 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.