Dani Johnson Has Heart for Poor

Dani Johnson is on a Village-Building Mission for Nicaraguan Families

	Life for Pablo, his wife Maria (back), and their daughter, Rosa (center) and her two sons, who are living in a home built on top of an old gold-mining tunnel in Malpaisillo, León, Nicaragua, is no longer safe. Blasts from nearby active mining sites are triggering sink holes. ABC Television’s “Secret Millionaire” and author, Dani Johnson, traveled to Nicaragua with Food For The Poor in January. Johnson will be helping the international relief and development organization to build a village of 100 homes.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2015) – Life for hundreds of families living in deteriorating homes built on top of a labyrinth of old gold-mining tunnels in Malpaisillo, León, Nicaragua, is no longer safe. León is located in the western department of Nicaragua and is a little more than 57 miles northwest of the capital city, Managua. Blasts from nearby active mining sites are causing these tunnels to crumble, triggering sink holes, which have claimed the lives of several people.

“We are tormented day and night by the blasts. We are so afraid that our house is going to go down into the ground that we take turns sleeping so that we can keep watch over our home and family,” said Pablo, a local resident. “Every time I hear that sound, I say ‘Oh my God, another person may have died’ and it is worse during the rainy season.”

Pablo and his wife Maria have lived in the mining community in León for more than 50 years, and now share their humble dwelling with their daughter Rosa, and her two sons.

Food For The Poor and the American Nicaraguan Foundation (ANF) had been working on securing safe land for these families when Dani Johnson, ABC Television’s “Secret Millionaire,” author, business and relationship expert, learned about their plight. Johnson, whose father is Nicaraguan, had visited her father’s homeland a few times, but traveled for the first time to the Central American country with Food For The Poor in January. Now she wants to help the international relief and development organization to build a village. So far, enough funds have been raised for the construction of 84 homes, but this is only the beginning of Johnson’s home building project for the Central American country.

“I feel like I wasn’t born here in Nicaragua for a purpose and that purpose was for me to come back and to help, not just my family, but as many people as possible,” said Johnson.

The Santa Pancha Village Community Development project will provide a new way of living for hundreds of Nicaraguan families. Each two-bedroom home comes with sanitation and a water component.  A community center also will be built in the central part of the village. Each family will receive two hens and a rooster, and be trained in self-sustaining projects.

“Food For The Poor has helped build thousands of homes, with the loving support of our donors, for destitute families living in some of the most deplorable conditions imaginable. The situation in León is really difficult, the people there are living in a constant state of crippling fear – it’s mental torture,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.  “We’re so grateful that Dani Johnson has decided to work on another homebuilding project with Food For The Poor; it’s a priceless blessing she wants to provide for these families.”

Johnson’s journey with Food For The Poor began in December 2013, when she traveled to Haiti with the charity. During that trip, she saw what life was like in the remote community of Kadwa in Mirebalais. After speaking with some of the families living in unfathomable conditions, she made a promise to build a village of 70 two-bedroom homes and a sugar cane mill to provide economic growth for the entire region. Nearly one year to the date, Johnson returned to Haiti with Food For The Poor to see her promise fulfilled, and to find people and a community transformed.

"I feel like a human being. Before, I didn't have anything, not even a place for my child to sleep. Now, I can hold my head high in the community because I have my own home and a safe place for my family," said Cesar Salomon, a Kadwa, Haiti, resident.                                                                                             

Each family also received a solar kit, which includes solar panels that can power three accompanying lamps. Click www.FoodForThePoor.org/danihaiti to see Johnson’s mission trip to Haiti 2014.

“Returning at the end of the year and seeing the elation of that entire village in Haiti was amazing, but this time around with Food For The Poor and King’s Ransom, the project in Nicaragua will be even more dynamic because I know what’s coming and I know what I am going to see when I come back,” said Johnson. “I can’t wait to hand them the keys. We are months away from their brand new safe homes and a new life – that’s exciting!”

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.

Operation Starfish Invests in Poor

	(L to R) Fr. Richard “Dick” Martin’s younger brother, Jack, together with Food For The Poor President/CEO Robin Mahfood, unveiled a plaque in Food For The Poor's lobby to commemorate Fr. Martin’s dedicated service to the poor.
Related Items: Operation Starfish® Resource Materials Operation Starfish® Video

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 17, 2015) – Food For The Poor’s Operation Starfish® program invests small change to create significant change in the lives of the poor. The Operation Starfish® program is a simple way for your family, church, school or organization to celebrate the spirit of compassionate giving, and the difference we can make by saving one child at a time.

Operation Starfish® is designed to let families engage in the sacrificial spirit of Lent by giving participants both the opportunity for spiritual reflection and the chance to make daily sacrifices. The program encourages individuals to deposit 50 cents or more each day into their Operation Starfish® collection box to help the poor. At the end of Lent, when all donations are collected, combined and counted, projects to improve the lives of the destitute will be implemented.

The Operation Starfish® program has five arms of aid to transform the living conditions of destitute families. These programs include food, water, housing, education, and micro-enterprise opportunities.

Food For The Poor has free supplemental materials available to support Operation Starfish® activities, including special devotional calendars, beautifully illustrated donation boxes, children’s workbooks and a video. Food For The Poor’s devotional calendar features a daily Gospel reading and a weekly reflection. The children’s workbook is divided into several lessons that teach children about poverty in the world, while offering activities that are fun and informative. 

Those interested in starting an Operation Starfish® program at their parish, school, or organization can visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/operationstarfish  or call 877-654-2960 ext. 6219. Parishes nationwide also participate in Operation Starfish programs during Vacation Bible Study sessions, Christmas in July celebrations, Back to School fundraisers, and in preparation for Advent.  

For 16 years, Father Richard Martin, former pastor at Church of the Nativity in Burke, Virginia, attributed the growth and fruitfulness of his parish to the partnership with Food For The Poor through the Operation Starfish® program.

Fr. Martin died in May 2014 at the age of 74. In his memory, Church of the Nativity parishioners built an entire village near Grand Boulage, Haiti, with proceeds from their 2014 Operation Starfish Lenten campaign. The Good Shepherd Village will be the 10th village built by Nativity parishioners in the last 16 years.

“He was a tremendous pastor,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor President/CEO.

“Fr. Martin had a real love for people, and he exemplified Christ’s love everywhere he went. His genuine love energized his parishioners to year-after-year think beyond themselves, to create miracles for Haiti’s poor.”

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.

Boca Grande Readies for 5th Village

Boca Grande Committee Prepares for an Evening of Fun and Philanthropy

	The Boca Grande Hope For Haitians Committee partnered with Food For The Poor to build its fourth Friendship Village in Pon Batay, Haiti, which included 32 two-bedroom homes with water and sanitation. The Hope for Haitians Committee also will reveal plans for its fifth village in Gressier, Haiti, during its annual fundraiser in Boca Grande, Fla., on Feb. 25.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2015) – The Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee will celebrate the completion of its fourth Friendship Village in Pon Batay, Haiti, and also will reveal plans for its fifth village in Gressier, Haiti, during its annual fundraiser in Boca Grande, Fla., on Feb. 25.

“Nearly 200 people are living in sturdy homes in Pon Batay village, with water and sanitation thanks to the generous support of the Boca Grande Committee. This village is a tremendous blessing for these families. Words cannot express the gratitude of this ministry, along with the gratitude of the recipients of these beautiful homes,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

As the committee gathers in celebration of their latest project, Hope for Haitians Chairman Ben Scott says he’s prayerfully confident he will get the support needed to complete their fifth village of 30 houses. These homes will be built for struggling families living in Gressier, a coastal community located between Port-au-Prince and Leogane. The region suffered a devastating blow when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake of 2010 destroyed nearly 50 percent of the area’s buildings. Temporary shelters donated right after the earthquake are deteriorating around the families living inside these structures.

“We can't stop now. Even after five years, we still have thousands living in tents and these conditions are not good, in fact they are deplorable. That is why we must continue,” said Scott.

Boca Grande Committee member Colvin McCrady, who has traveled with Scott and Food For The Poor to Haiti, will address the attendees at the event with his first hand impression of what he saw in the tent cities two years ago, and why permanent housing is so vitally important in helping the people of Haiti to rebuild their lives.

“We’re shocked and our hearts just go out to these people, my wife and I were shocked by the tent cities. Seeing so many families living in these conditions breaks our heart,” said McCrady, on the trip in Jan. 2013.

The Hope for Haitians Committee began working with Food For The Poor and building homes built through the international relief and development organization in 2009, and has built villages for families in Pierre Payen, Michaud, Manneville, and Pon Batay, Haiti. The villages in Pierre Payen and Michaud also received recent upgrades. These included a security wall and play area for the elementary school in Pierre Payen.

“Kindness is contagious. Once you start the process, others around you also are inspired to give, not only of their resources, but also of time. Food For The Poor is very thankful to have the support of Ben Scott, the Boca Grande Committee members and the generous community there,” said Aloma. 

The Boca Grande Committee cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception will be on Feb. 25, 2015, at 6 p.m. at the historic Gasparilla Inn Beach Club, located at 445 Gilchrist Ave. in Boca Grande, Fla. There also will be an exclusive silent auction of Haitian artwork.

Click www.FoodForThePoor.org/earthquakevideo to watch a video about some of the projects Food For The Poor has implemented in Haiti in the five years since the earthquake struck.

Committee members include: Chairmen Ben and Louise Scott, the Rev. Gary Beatty, the Rev. Brian Brightly, the Rev. Jerome Carosella, the Rev. Michelle Robertshaw, George and Lois Castrucci, Patricia Chapman, Randy and Sue Eddy, Charlie and Florita Field, Evelyn Finnegan, Lou and Corie Fusz, Stephen and Susan Jansen, Mick and Susan Johnson, Tom and Nancy Lorden, Colvin and Madelaine McCrady, Peter and Elsa Soderberg.

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.

Bankers Healthcare Group Donates Furniture

Donated Office Furniture to Serve New Purpose in Jamaica

	Bankers Healthcare Group donated more than 150 pieces of office furniture, including several large filing cabinets and drawers to Food For The Poor. The donated items will be shipped to Jamaica and reused in schools and orphanages supported by the relief and development organization.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2015) – More than 150 pieces of office furniture that once filled the South Florida corporate headquarters of Bankers Healthcare Group soon will be heading to Jamaica. BHG, a provider of financing solutions for healthcare professionals, relocated from Southwest Ranches to Davie, Fla., and decided to donate their extra furnishings to Food For The Poor.

“Through Food for the Poor, we were able to take our seemingly everyday items and pass them on to communities that could really benefit from them,” said Bob Castro, president and co-founder of Bankers Healthcare Group. “BHG is truly grateful for the opportunity to support Food for the Poor and contribute to their global impact. We hope Jamaican schools and orphanages will be able to get good use out of this furniture.”

For more than three decades, Food For The Poor has been a dedicated servant of the poor, supplying the basic needs of housing, food, and water to the people in 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. The organization relies on the gift-in-kind donations it receives from corporations, businesses and individuals to provide essential goods like school furniture, medical equipment, and medicines.

“Once these items are delivered to our warehouse, they are sorted and shipped to where the need is greatest as quickly as possible,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “The office furniture we received from Bankers Healthcare Group is a perfect example of how something that was once used in one capacity can be reused to serve a new purpose.”

The furnishings donated by BHG will be reused in schools and orphanages supported by the charity. 

Since 2001, Bankers Healthcare Group has been committed to providing financing solutions for healthcare professionals, allowing them to remain focused on delivering high quality care. BHG has provided more than $2 billion in funding to thousands of customers nationwide. Inc. has recognized the company nine times for growth and job creation. For additional information, please visit www.bhg-inc.com or follow Bankers Healthcare Group on Twitter.

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.

Shining a Light on Haiti

Honoree Mary Wong and Grammy Award-Winning Reggae Star Shine Light on Haiti’s Housing Needs

	L to R: Tim Rea (Executive Vice President of Marketing for Office Depot), Mary Wong (President of the Office Depot Foundation), Robin Mahfood (Food For The Poor President/CEO).
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2015) – Mary Wong, President of the Office Depot Foundation, was named Food For The Poor’s 2015 Ambassador For The Poor at the charity’s 20th annual Building Hope Gala, Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, at Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida.

Known for her philanthropic endeavors throughout the community, Wong, together with Grammy Award-winning reggae artist Shaggy and The Hot Shot Band, have helped raise awareness about the desperate need for permanent housing in Haiti.

During the gala’s live house rally, homes for 40 destitute families were pledged to be built in the area surrounding Pon Batay, Haiti. A generous Food For The Poor donor matched the number of homes raised at the gala. 

“Everyone in this room is a voice for the voiceless,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor President/CEO, as he spoke to the crowd of more than 450 about the importance of building safe, sturdy homes for destitute families.

“The poor live in very dangerous situations,” said Mahfood. “All they need is a proper roof over their heads, a place to gather, clean water and sanitation.”

Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma presented Wong with the award, listing many of her good qualities.

“Above all, it is the tears of compassion that I have seen you shed each time you watch a Food For The Poor video or look at our photos, or even when you listen to a story from the field about our children that makes recognizing you a sincere privilege,” said Aloma, as he introduced a teary Mary Wong and presented her with a statue of Christ as a beggar.

“That type of love for children whom you may never see and from whose lips you may never hear the words thank you, is the purest type of love in this world,” said Aloma.

"I am deeply grateful to Food For The Poor for selecting me as the honoree of its 20th annual Building Hope Gala and applaud this outstanding organization's dedication to providing homes and hope for the residents near Pon Batay, Haiti,” said Wong. “The Office Depot Foundation has partnered with Food For The Poor in our National Backpack Program for several years and is proud to know that, together, we have given thousands of children essential tools to succeed in school."

Thanks to the Office Depot Foundation, more than 14,000 sackpacks have been donated to Food For The Poor’s Angels Of Hope program. Over the past 15 years, the Office Depot Foundation has distributed more than 3.3 million backpacks and sackpacks to deserving children. This achievement will be recognized when the foundation is inducted into the PR News CSR Hall of Fame on March 12 in Washington, D.C.

Gala guests included Jay DiPietro, President/COO/General Manager of Boca West Country Club; The Honorable Franz Hall, Jamaica's Consul General to Miami; Dale Jones, Jamaica’s Deputy Consul General to Miami; and Miss Jamaica Diaspora (Florida) Kimar Muir.

DiPietro received the 2014 Ambassador For The Poor award for his contribution to Food For The Poor’s rebuilding effort in Haiti with the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA).

At the end of the evening, Shaggy treated the crowd to a memorable performance that included Boombastic, Angel, It Wasn’t Me, and songs from his Grammy-nominated reggae album, Out of Many, One Music.

In time for Valentine’s Day, sponsor J.R. Dunn Jewelers offered gala attendees an exclusive way to contribute to build critically needed houses for destitute families in Haiti. For a $100 donation at the event, one guest won a $5,000 shopping spree at J.R. Dunn Jewelers.

For additional information regarding the Building Hope Gala, or to support the home building-initiative, please call 888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/boca.

The Building Hope Gala Chairwoman is Rene Turner-Mahfood, and additional committee members include Wedler Alexandre, Carlos Bodden, Matthew Bryant, Becky Carlsson, Ronda Ellis Ged, LaMae Klos, Susan Krassen, Julie Mahfood, Tashia Rahl, Kara Seelye, Deborah Shapiro and Renee Stetler.

Gala sponsors include Club Managers Association of America, Dennis Charley & Associates, Blackbaud, DKB Trade Concepts Inc., Harcourt M. & Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, Innovvaire, J.R. Dunn Jewelers, Leslie L. Alexander Foundation, McFFe Group, MOR Printing, Oceans 234, Office Depot Foundation, Premier Aircraft Sales, Seaboard Marine, TD Bank, Teemlink Ltd., The Calmark Group, The Levitetz Family Foundation, Trinity Direct, United Healthcare, Vitas Innovative Hospice Care, and The Boca Raton Observer.

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.

Celebrating 33 Years of Service

Food For The Poor Celebrates 33 Years of Lovingly Serving the Poor

	In 2014, Food For The Poor contracted to build 33 schools. This little girl in Honduras is using one of the many computers donated to the organization. Since its inception, Food For The Poor has shipped more than 70,000 tractor-trailer loads of essential goods.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2015) – Thanks to loyal support from a diverse group of donors, Food For The Poor will celebrate 33 years of devoted service to the poor on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Committed to helping one person at a time, one family at a time, Food For The Poor’s core life-transforming strategies are food, housing, water and education. With its offices in Jamaica, Haiti, and Guyana, the organization is helping people in 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America to break the cycle of poverty.

“It’s very hard for many poor families to think about the future, when their primary focus is finding food, water and a safe place to sleep for the night. For more than three decades, this ministry has met many of those basic needs, but the goal of this organization is to provide families with an opportunity to become self-sustaining,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “With the help of our donors, Food For The Poor has implemented animal husbandry, agricultural and aquaculture projects, and provides technical training that is helping families to generate income and to care for their own.”

Food For The Poor started out as a feeding program in Jamaica in 1982 and is now ranked by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international charity in the United States. Through its dedicated donors, the charity has built more than 98,000 housing units, shipped more than 70,000 tractor-trailer loads filled with essential goods, completed more than 1,943 water projects, and has delivered nearly $11 billion in aid since its inception. 

Food For The Poor is also committed to helping the victims of the Haiti earthquake, which devastated the Caribbean country in January 2010. Since the tragedy in Haiti, the ministry has built 5,015 permanent two-room concrete block homes with water and sanitation components, drilled 372 water wells, which provide more than 1.1 million people with clean water each day and built or restored 35 schools in the Port-au-Prince area.

Food For The Poor is also building villages, community centers, and clinics for people in need. Click www.FoodForThePoor.org/tour to see how Food For The Poor is fulfilling its mission to save and to transform lives, while renewing hope.

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.