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.
Related Items: Watch: Five Years After the Quake See Photos of Families in Haiti

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.

Boca Grande in Haiti

	In November 2013, Yvette Mede and her three children in Manneville, Haiti received a new two-room house with sanitation and a cistern.
Related Items: See More Photos on Facebook Donate to Boca Grande's Project

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 6, 2014) – A joyful noise is slowly drowning out the sounds of despair that once hovered over the small town of Manneville, Haiti. Located near Thomazeau, in the community of Croix-des-Bouquets, some of its residents who were in desperate need of housing and access to clean drinking water now have secure homes, with a cistern and sanitation. All this is thanks to the commitment of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee and Food For The Poor.

“Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake in 2010 that killed hundreds of thousands of people and left more than a million homeless. During the last four years, the Hope for Haitians Committee has asked the people of Boca Grande to build homes and schools for the Haitian people to help get them back on their feet. In each of those four years, the people of Boca Grande reached the charitable goals set, with tremendous generosity,” said Ben Scott, Chairman of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee.  

Some of those goals include the following:

• 135 Houses with Sanitation and Water Cisterns
• 2,850 Fruit Trees
• 2 Water Treatment Units
• 1 Vocational Training Center with Sanitation
• 2 Community Centers
• 1 Basic School with Sanitation
• 6 Solar Powered Street Lamps
• 1 Self-Starting Project for Women

The Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee began working through the international relief and development organization in 2009, shortly before the Caribbean nation was rattled by one of the worst national disasters in its history. The committee wants to continue to help relocate families from tents to permanent housing.

“According to the latest published reports, there are approximately 200,000 people currently living in Haiti’s tent cities. This is a considerable reduction from the initial 1.3 million. But, one family living in a tent is one family too many,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “Words cannot capture the gratitude this organization has for the Boca Grande committee, and community, that’s helping us to transform lives in Haiti, one family at a time.”

One such transformation took place nearly a year ago, during the second week of January, when Hope For Haitians Chairmen Ben and Louise Scott and eight Boca Grande Committee members traveled with Food For The Poor to Haiti. During the three-day trip, they got to meet some of the families and to see the dire need in a section of Manneville. Today, that section of town has been transformed into a thriving community of 33 colorful two-room homes that have brought tremendous joy to the recipients.
The residents want to thank their benefactors for providing them with the priceless gift of self-sufficiency. Click here to read some of the stories shared by these grateful individuals.

“The Boca Grande community has made a huge difference in the lives of so many people in desperate need. But there are still so many who need the basics of life,” said Scott.

Scott will be traveling to Haiti the week of Jan. 13, 2014, with Food For The Poor.

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, Ray and Iliene Corcoran, 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.

        

Boca Grande Committee to Announce Plans for Friendship Village III

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2013) – During the week of Jan. 14-17, Hope For Haitians Chairmen Ben and Louise Scott, and eight Boca Grande Committee members, traveled with Food For The Poor to Haiti. During the three-day trip, the group attended the inauguration of the Boca Grande Friendship Village II in Michaud, and they also toured the location of the future site of Boca Grande Friendship Village III, where they received a very warm welcome.

In a prayer of thanksgiving for the visitors from Florida, one Manneville, Haiti resident said, “We thank you God, because they are people who recognize that we are people.  You put it into their hearts so they can relate to the situation that we are living in, this difficult situation.”  

Manneville is a small town located near Thomazeau in the community of Croix-des-Bouquets. The residents who live there are in desperate need of housing and access to clean drinking water. With a population of approximately 52,000, the community’s need can seem overwhelming, but the committee members are not intimidated. 

“We can only do so much, but our goal is to help as many as we can, build houses as fast as we can, and to raise as much money as we can. There are a lot of groups like us, but not enough, so we just want to do our part with what we have,” said Scott.
“What impressed me the most was the patience, the faith, and the hope that’s still here after three years,” said George Castrucci, Boca Grande Committee Member.  “It’s very sad, but very pleasing they’re hopeful, and hopefully we can do something to help them.”

Scott will address the Boca Grande Community at a reception on Feb. 21, at the historic Gasparilla Inn Beach Club, located at 445 Gilchrist Ave. in Boca Grande, Fla. He will elaborate on plans for Boca Grande Friendship Village III in Manneville, Haiti.
Boca Grande Friendship Village III will have the following:

• 35 two-room houses with sanitation. Each house will be built with a gutter system on the roof that will be connected to a water cistern, which will provide families with immediate access to rain water.
• 2,000 trees will be planted around the community to reforest the land and also increase fruit bearing trees.
• 100 goats will be distributed to residents in the community. The residents will be properly trained on how to care for the animals.                                                        
• 50 residents will receive agricultural tools to help them become more productive farmers.

“The Boca Grande Committee has partnered with us to fund communities, and the members are helping families to have a home, which will provide their children more hope, more dignity and the ability to live life with some measure of comfort, said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “These communities also will allow the parents to seek employment and to have that wonderful feeling of being self-sustaining.”

The Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee has been working through Food For The Poor to build homes since 2009.  The first Boca Grande Friendship Village is located in Pierre Payen, Haiti. Click here to see what some of the committee members saw while visiting the tent cities, and during the inauguration of Friendship Village II.

Committee members include: 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, Ray and Iliene Corcoran, Randy and Sue Eddy, Charlie and Florita Field, Evelyn Finnegan, Lou and Corie Fusz, Stephen and Susan Jansen, Tom and Nancy Lorden, Colvin and Madelaine McCrady, and 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 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor.

Gratitude and Renewed Hope: Friendship Village Recipients Share Inspirational Stories from Haiti

	Thanks to the generosity of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee and Food For The Poor, Darline has expanded her tiny business into a shop where she now sells a variety of items. Her business also has a small open-air restaurant where she sells dinners at night.
Related Information: More Photos on Facebook

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 3, 2013) – In areas once plagued by poverty, today live shopkeepers, seamstresses and bakers. Thanks to the generosity of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee and Food For The Poor, hope has returned to the lives of hundreds of families who have received new two-room homes. Located in Pierre Payen and Michaud, Haiti, both Friendship Villages and their 115 homeowners are doing exceptionally well.

“When we hear about women earning a living sewing and selling school uniforms in their own communities and in neighboring towns, or that children no longer have to walk miles to buy bread because they can now buy it in their own village, these are the rewards of our labor,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “It’s truly amazing to witness this positive transformation of so many families in a relatively short period of time. We can’t thank Boca Grande enough for their dedicated support.”

The residents in both villages want to thank their benefactors for providing the catalyst toward the priceless gift of self-sufficiency. To read some of the stories shared by the grateful individuals, visit foodforthepoor.org/storiesofgratitude.
There will be an inauguration of the Boca Grande Friendship Village II in Michaud, Haiti, January 14-17, 2013. Committee members and anyone who has a desire to experience this joyous celebration are invited to join the three-day trip with Food For The Poor.

“Meaningful change in Haiti will come through self-sustaining programs, allowing Haitians to take the reins of their own future by providing jobs that will help support the country’s people and local economy,” said Ben Scott, the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Chairman.

Scott will address the Boca Grande Community at a reception on Feb. 21, 2013, at the historic Gasparilla Inn Beach Club, located at 445 Gilchrist Avenue in Boca Grande, Fla. He will announce plans for Boca Grande Friendship Village III in Manneville, Haiti.

Committee members include: 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, Ray and Iliene Corcoran, Randy and Sue Eddy, Charlie and Florita Field, Evelyn Finnegan, Lou and Corie Fusz, Stephen and Susan Jansen, Tom and Nancy Lorden, Colvin and Madelaine McCrady, and 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 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. 

For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Boca Grande meets goal in Pierre Payen and changes lives

Boca Grande Friendship Village, a picturesque community that’s nestled between majestic mountains, dozens of fruit trees, a river, and an ocean has transformed the lives of hundreds of people in Pierre Payen, Haiti. Thanks to the caring residents of Southwest Florida’s Boca Grande community, pastel colored houses now sit in a valley that was once occupied with mud huts.

“Boca Grande has been a tremendous blessing for many families in Pierre Payen, but most importantly, they’ve restored hope and the desire to dream again into the lives of so many,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “To help the residents of Friendship Village to become even more self-sustaining, Boca Grande completed their second phase earlier this year, which included a nine-room basic school, 22 more homes with sanitation and cisterns, two solar-powered street lamps, 150 more fruit trees and a cow farm.”

The Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee was working through Food For The Poor to build homes in the Artibonite Region of the country long before the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in 2010. Later that year, 40 double-unit homes equipped with kitchenettes, sanitation and 200-gallon plastic water cisterns to collect rain water were constructed. A water treatment system for the entire community, 500 fruit trees, an animal husbandry project, a community chicken farm, a community center with a solar-powered system to provide electricity, and a five-room vocational school were also provided.

“I had to stand all night when it rained in the past. I had no place to lie down because of the mud inside the house. Now, I can sleep when it rains and not get wet,” said one Friendship Village resident. “No one in the past would let their kids even come to the village because it was considered too backwards. Now, everybody comes to visit us,” said another.

Ben Scott, chair of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee, has now turned his focus toward Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince, and the town of Michaud. Progress is taking place, but not fast enough for the hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims who are still living in tent cities nearly two years later. It has become the goal of Boca Grande to build as many homes as possible, with the help of Food For The Poor, for earthquake survivors.

“Our next project will begin in February 2012,” said Scott. “There are more than 500,000 people who are still homeless, but we have to focus on helping one family at a time.”

Michaud is a small, impoverished town with approximately 10,000 residents and was once considered the backyard of Croix-des-Bouquets. It sits in the middle of farmlands, which land owners used to cultivate sugar cane for the Haitian American Sugar Company in the mid-80s, before its closure. Today, residents rely upon seasonal agriculture for survival, mainly millet and some sugar cane, which they sell in the marketplace.

Boca Grande’s goal through Food For The Poor is to provide 40 families in Michaud with 40 double-unit houses, which will include sanitation units and water tanks. Each family will also be given two solar-powered lanterns; four solar-powered street lamps will be installed in the community in 2012.

Scott, along with donors of the Pierre Payen project and Food For The Poor staff from the Coconut Creek office will be traveling to Haiti the week of Nov. 14 for the dedication of the village and the nine room basic school.

Committee members include: Ben and Louise Scott, the Rev. Gary Beatty, the Rev. Jerome Carosella, the Rev. Read Heydt, George and Lois Castrucci, Patricia Chapman, Ray and Iliene Corcoran, Charlie and Florita Field, Lou and Corie Fusz, Stephen and Susan Jansen, Tom and Nancy Lorden, Colvin and Madelaine McCrady, and John and Pauline Mendez.

Food For The Poor, 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. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Contact:
Wanda Wright
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com

One Boca Grande Thanks Another For a New Life

The leader of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee and the Haiti Project Manager for Food For The Poor brought a message of gratitude to those attending the March 2 event in Boca Grande.

"Merci, merci, merci…thank you so much for impacting, changing, transforming, restoring, for giving life," said Delane Bailey-Herd, Haiti Project Manager for Food For The Poor. "The residents of Boca Grande Friendship Village in Pierre Payen, Haiti, say 'Next to God, there is Boca Grande, Fla.' I know you cannot even imagine that in such a short space of time you have made such an amazing, eternal impact in one community."

Ben Scott, chair of the committee, traveled to Haiti on Feb. 14 to meet the residents, walk through the concrete block, two-room homes, watch classes in action, and taste the fresh, clean water that means life and health in the country. More than 200 mothers, fathers and children have moved from homes made of mud and sticks into 40 sturdy homes in the village.

“When we met here last year, we weren’t sure what would happen when we shared our plans to raise money for a village in Haiti. I’m here today to report to you that we did raise the money, and in seven months we did build the village we said we would build,” Scott said.

Now, building on last year’s successful mission to change lives in Haiti, the Boca Grande committee is launching the next part of its campaign. Plans for the second phase go directly toward helping people become even more self-reliant with more homes, a school, and a cow farm.

The Boca Grande Friendship Village consists of:
• 40 double-unit concrete homes with kitchenettes. Each house also includes sanitation, and a 200-gallon plastic water cistern to collect rainwater.
• A water treatment system with the capacity to process clean water for the entire community.
• 500 fruit trees, including mango, avocado and citrus
• Animal husbandry, with one goat for each family
• A community chicken farm
• Community Center
• Solar charging system to provide the community center with electricity
• A five-room vocational school

“It is easy for me to thank you for all of these things,” Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor, told the group in a taped message. “However, how can one thank you for the other things you have given them that are not quite so material, that are not so palpable. How can I thank you for the dignity you have given, the hope that you have given, the faith which you have reinforced with your love for them?”

Those gathered responded immediately to Scott’s call for help with a second phase. Many wrote checks on the spot, and Scott said checks have continued to arrive each day since the event. Scott said he is eager to work on the next important elements of the village.

“The committee thought it was really important to focus on the school in this next phase,” Scott said, before showing the gathered crowd a short video of the cramped, noisy, makeshift classrooms that children must endure each day to try to get an education. “Let’s see what we can do.”

Committee members include: Ben and Louise Scott, the Rev. Gary Beatty, the Rev. Jerome Carosella, the Rev. Read Heydt, Tom and Linda Aley, George and Lois Castrucci, Patricia Chapman, Ray and Iliene Corcoran, Charlie and Florita Field, Lou and Corie Fusz, Stephen and Susan Jansen, Audrey Knapp, Tom and Nancy Lorden, Bruce and Barbara Stirling and David and Mary Jo Wilson.

To watch a video on Scott’s visit to the village and presentations from the March 2 event, please visit YouTube.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the United States, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency 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. For more information, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org.

Contact:
Kathy Skipper
Food For The Poor
Public Relations Director
954-427-2222 x 6614
kathys@foodforthepoor.com

"This is Life," Leader Says on Visit to Boca Grande Village

When Ben Scott walked into Boca Grande Friendship Village in Pierre Payen, Haiti, on Valentine’s Day, he was struck first by the hope and confidence he saw in the eyes and faces of the people who live there. “They are a community, they have a leader, they are content,” he said. “This is life.”

Scott, chairman of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee, traveled to Haiti on Feb. 14 to meet the residents, walk through the concrete block two-room homes, watch classes in action, and taste the fresh, clean water that means life and health in the country. More than 200 mothers, fathers, and children have moved from homes made of mud and sticks into 40 sturdy homes in the village.

Building on last year’s successful mission to change lives in Haiti, the Boca Grande committee is launching its second phase of the campaign. The committee’s fundraising event will be on Wednesday, March 2, at 6 p.m. at the historic Power House Boca Bay Pass Club. Everyone living on Boca Grande is invited to attend the cocktail reception and learn more about how the village already is changing lives, as well as plans for future growth.

The 25-person committee joined forces months before the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, and their resolve was further strengthened when they learned of the devastating impact the quake had on Haitian families. Since then, the country has faced an outbreak of cholera and a late-season storm that threatened the million-plus people still living in tents.

The Boca Grande Friendship Village consists of:
• 40 double-unit concrete homes with kitchenettes. Each house also includes sanitation, and a 200-gallon plastic water cistern to collect rainwater.
• A water treatment system with the capacity to process clean water for the entire community.
• 500 fruit trees, including mango, avocado and citrus
• Animal husbandry, with one goat for each family
• A community chicken farm
• Community Center
• Solar charging system to provide the community center with electricity
• A five-room vocational school

“Seeing the people in classes gave me the best feeling,” Scott said. “There were about 40 men in the plumbing class. I talked to one man who doesn’t have a job, he has to walk to get there, and he wants to learn a trade because he is sure that there is a future for him in rebuilding Haiti. I could tell that he felt sure, confident that this is going to come out for the good.”

Plans for the next phase go directly toward helping people become even more self-reliant. At the March event, the committee will raise money to continue to build out the village with more homes, a school, and a cow farm.

“How appropriate that we traveled to Haiti to visit the Boca Grande Friendship Village on Valentine’s Day,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “The Boca Grande community has poured out its heart to the people of Haiti, and what a blessing it was to stand with Ben Scott and see what a difference one idea and a dedicated group of individuals can make.”

To watch a short video from the village and hear a thank you from Executive Director Aloma, please visit Food For The Poor on YouTube.

To find out information about the event on March 2, please call Ben Scott at 941-964-9848 or Kathy Leggatt at 1-888-404-4248.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the United States, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency 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. For more information, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org.

Contact:
Kathy Skipper
Director of Public Relations
954.427.2222, ext. 6614
kathys@foodforthepoor.com

We Did It! Boca Grande Builds a Village in Haiti

The Boca Grande Friendship Village Committee set an aggressive goal of building an entire village in Haiti, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the struggling country. More than 200 mothers, fathers and children have moved into 40 two-room homes in the village, and committee members will travel there in February to celebrate with the residents.

“When we set out to build the village, we knew it was a big goal, but we also knew that the people in the community have generous hearts and a spirit to get things done,” said Committee Chairman Ben Scott, who led the initiative to raise $410,000. “Even then, we were surprised when we were able to accomplish it in a year.”

The 24-person committee joined forces months before the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, and their resolve was further strengthened when they learned of the devastating impact the quake had on Haitian families. Since then, the country has faced an outbreak of cholera and a late-season storm that threatened the million-plus people still living in tents.

In Pierre Payen, at the Boca Grande Friendship Village, lives already are being transformed. The village is providing impoverished families with safe housing, clean water, sanitation, agriculture, animal husbandry, a community chicken farm, a vocational center, a community center and a solar-charging system for electricity.

“This community has poured out its hearts to the people of Haiti, and what a blessing it will be to witness what a difference one idea and a dedicated group of individuals can make,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

To watch a short video from the village and hear a thank you from Aloma, please visit Food For The Poor's YouTube channel.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the United States, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency 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. For more information, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org.