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.

Haiti village for Fr. Martin

Virginia Parish Builds 10th Haiti Village in Honor of Beloved Priest

	Fr. Richard Martin's nephew, Eric Martin, shown here with baby, Grayson, and wife, Nicole, attended the celebration of life for the priest at Food For The Poor headquarters in Coconut Creek, Fla. Others, from left, are donors Tu Le and Vincent Lam, President/CEO Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor Projects Specialist Jim McDaniel, and Fr. Bill Korpi of Nativity Parish. Photo/Food For The Poor

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 11, 2014) –Food For The Poor President/CEO Robin Mahfood accepted a donation today from Church of the Nativity in Burke, Virginia, that will build an entire village near Grand Boulage, Haiti. The village will be the 10th built by Nativity and it will be named Good Shepherd Village in memory of Fr. Richard Martin, who worked with the charity for 16 years through Operation Starfish.

The check was presented at a celebration of life service for Fr. Martin, who died in May at the age of 74. He had traveled to Haiti many times with Food For The Poor, helping thousands of Haitian citizens have a better life. Staff members remembered him through songs, scripture readings and stories.

“When I first met Dick in 2000, he said, ‘You know, we will have a long road to work together.’ He told me he would pray for me, and I said I would pray for him,” Mahfood said. “He had a real love for people, and we saw it everywhere we went with him. He understood the poor. In our lobby, we have a wall with four Servants of the Poor. The fifth is going to be Fr. Richard Martin.”

Fr. Bill Korpi, a friend of Fr. Martin’s for almost 30 years and a fellow priest at Nativity Parish, hand-delivered the donation and reminisced about his good friend, drawing laughter from those gathered to honor their friend.

“A few days after Father went home to God, I had an experience. A young woman walked into the office, almost paralyzed and trembling. Tears were pouring out of her eyes. I knew what Dick would do, so I moved out of my comfort zone, I approached her and held out my arms,” Korpi said. “He was your best friend, wasn’t he? You loved him, didn’t you? He told you he loved you, didn’t he? I told her that he had told thousands of people that – and he meant it every time!

“When thousands of people passed through to pay their respects to him at our church, I reminded the young seminarians that the crowds came not because they loved him, but because he first loved them,” Korpi said. “I reminded them they must do the same, even the ones they don’t like – especially the ones they don’t like.”

The celebration included Fr. Martin’s nephew Eric, his wife, Nicole, and their baby, Grayson. The family had decided that instead of flowers, donations should go to Operation Starfish to help the poor in Haiti. Those donations made up almost a quarter of the gift that will make possible houses for those who have had no shelter, food for those who have known only hunger, opportunities for jobs, and income for those who have had no hope.

“We were both very honored to be able to represent the Martin family today,” Eric Martin said. “It was amazing to see the number of lives that Uncle Dick touched through his work with Food For The Poor. It will be a memory that is shared for a lifetime. We will never forget the feeling of being welcomed and loved by Uncle Dick’s Food For The Poor family. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a memory…that lasts a lifetime.”

The village in Grand Boulage will be built out over the course of three years, and will combine the latest technology, construction development programs, and community development programs. The “showcase” village ultimately will contain 120 houses, solar lighting, a community center, a health clinic, agriculture projects, and a kindergarten. The residents will receive life-skills training, to ensure that they can take best advantage of all the programs offered.

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.

Hope Takes Root in Dominican Republic Greenhouses

On Sept. 12, Operation Starfish inaugurated its first project in the Dominican Republic. The 3,000 square-foot greenhouse in Pedro Santana will produce 2,400 pounds of vegetables four times a year. Built by Food For The Poor and Caritas D.R., and operated by San Francisco de Asis parish, the business model calls for using a portion of the profits to replicate the greenhouse in more locations. Nativity's Operation Starfish provided the initial capital for this self-sustaining project.

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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Sept. 30, 2013) – Dozens of families living in the rural community of Pedro Santana, Dominican Republic, are learning how to plant, grow, and harvest the fruits of their labor thanks to greenhouse projects taking root in the Caribbean country.
On Sept. 12, the latest greenhouse project was inaugurated in a meadow near Pedro Santana, which is located about 165 miles west of the capital city of Santo Domingo, near the border of Haiti. This is the eighth greenhouse built in the Dominican Republic by Food For The Poor and its local partner, Caritas D.R. Funding for this greenhouse project was provided by Church of the Nativity in Burke, Va., through Food For The Poor’s Operation Starfish program.
“Pope Francis is urging us to give priority to the needs of the poor and this project will do just that,” said Fr. Richard Martin, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity.

The Church of the Nativity has been working with the relief and development organization Food For The Poor for 15 years, and has built more than 1,000 homes in eight Nativity Villages in neighboring Haiti, but this is Nativity’s first Operation Starfishâ project within the Dominican Republic.

“It is almost impossible to put into the words the love and gratitude Food For The Poor has for Fr. Martin and the Church of the Nativity’s parishioners. Because of their loving kindness thousands of families in Haiti have a secure home and are working on self-sustaining projects and receiving vocational training,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “We are equally excited about working with Nativity on the greenhouse projects in the Dominican Republic.”

Food For The Poor began working in the Dominican Republic 13 years ago, and has built 2,786 homes there. The two-room homes provide shelter, safety and brighter futures. Food For The Poor also has Community Development Projects that include elements necessary to break the cycle of poverty. Some of these projects include the construction of rural schools, clinics and community centers, self-sustaining agriculture and animal husbandry projects, and women’s vocational training.

The greenhouse in Pedro Santana is one of those self-sustaining projects and will provide 2,400 pounds of produce, four times a year, to feed families in this mountain community. The greenhouse will be operated by local farmers with oversight provided by Fr. Keith O’Hare, the pastor of San Francisco de Asís parish in nearby Bánica. Fr. O’Hare is a mission priest from the Diocese of Arlington, Va.
“We have good farmers here, this project allows them to be even better farmers,” said Fr. O’Hare.
The business model of this latest project requires a portion of the profits from sales of vegetables to be set aside and used to replicate the greenhouse in additional locations. The greenhouse facility also has a drip irrigation system fed by a water reservoir and underground supply lines, which were installed by Food For The 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.
                                                         

Donated sports equipment inspires and motivates young lives

The love of sports is as old as the Olympic Games, which are believed to have started in ancient Greece in 776 B.C.  Centuries later, dozens of nations still look forward to seeing their top athletes compete in selected venues of the world and the chance to bring home a bronze, silver or gold medal.

Maureen Sawyer, 14, may not be an Olympic champion, but she does have a heart of gold when it comes to giving back. A devoted Girl Scout for nearly a decade, and a determined soccer player, Sawyer is making the lives of hundreds of children in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Guatemala and Honduras a lot more enjoyable, thanks to her donation of sports equipment.

“It is an amazing feeling to know that I have made a difference in the lives of those I’ve never even met,” said Sawyer. “I have seen photos of children in Haiti playing with balls and toys made from trash. Now, having actual toys and sports equipment, these kids can play more easily, safely and joyfully!”

Sawyer learned about Food For The Poor from Father Richard Martin, pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Burke, Va. For 14 years, Fr. Martin and his congregation have worked side by side with Food For The Poor to help transform the lives of hundreds of families by building seven villages in Haiti.

With the support of her family, Sawyer started collecting her treasure trove of balls, bats, mitts, and more in mid-April.  She asked friends to bring sports equipment to her birthday party in place of presents. She received donations from her teachers, neighbors, and the athletic departments at Lake Braddock Secondary School. She set up collection bins at White Oaks Elementary School, Burke Sporting Goods and purchased items from Dani Dubs Consignment Sale.  Eight weeks later, 18 large boxes packed to the brim were shipped to the Caribbean and Latin America via Food For The Poor.

“Maureen’s generous donation of sporting equipment is greatly appreciated. Many of the children in the countries we serve see sports such as baseball, basketball or soccer as a means of hope, as a way to escape the poverty that surrounds them,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “With this donation, they know someone out there cares enough about them to give them the opportunity to dream, and that’s what being a child is about.”

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

Seven villages built by one parish through Operation Starfish

In anticipation of the 40-day Lenten season, parishioners from
Church of the Nativity in Burke, Va., journeyed to Haiti Feb. 6-10 to witness how their generosity has transformed the lives of hundreds of families who once lived in deplorable conditions. Leading the mission group was Father Richard Martin, pastor of Nativity and the originator of Food For The Poor’s Operation Starfish® program.

For 14 years, Fr. Martin has attributed the growth and success of his parish to partnering with Food For The Poor through the Operation Starfish program. The program encourages families to engage fully in the sacrificial spirit of Lent by giving parishioners the opportunity for spiritual reflection and the ability to make daily sacrifices to benefit those who are suffering. The program encourages individuals to deposit 50 cents or more each day to help the poor. At the end of Lent, when all donations are collected, housing, education and medical programs for the destitute will be funded through Food For The Poor.

“There is no greater honor and privilege than to be able to bring the basic necessities of life to those who need them,” said Bonnie DelBalzo, a Winchester, Va. resident, who has participated in Operation Starfish since 2005. “Operation Starfish allows us the opportunity to help one person, one family at a time, and to be inspired to continue as we see the joy, hope and comfort these donations can bring. What a blessing to be part of Operation Starfish projects and to work with such an efficient model of relief services through Food For The Poor.”

Nativity’s annual trip offered parishioners the opportunity to walk through Shada, an appalling Cap-Haitien slum with no access to clean water, where the smell of garbage and burning trash fills the air. Afterwards, the group traveled to the parish’s sixth village, “Nativity Village at Chastenoye,” where 50 homes were built for 50 families who were relocated from Shada.

“Through Operation Starfish, we have been able to partner with others as disciples of Christ to bring hope and dignity to the poor,” said DelBalzo, when she returned from the trip. “It is through us that God shows His love, mercy and faithfulness to the suffering and needy - and in seeing where He is working and listening to what He asks us to do through the Holy Spirit, we can experience Him in a meaningful and fulfilling way as He works in us and through us to accomplish His purposes.”

Parishioners also had the opportunity to meet the families for whom they fulfilled the dream of homeownership in the parish’s seventh village, “Nativity Village in Mazere,” in Cap-Haitien. This village of 100 permanent homes was constructed with Nativity Parish’s 2011 Lenten collection.

“This village provides so much more than just 100 new sturdy homes with sanitation,” said Jim McDaniel, a Nativity parishioner and Food For The Poor staff member. “There is a water filtration system, a community center for vocational training, and agricultural projects – this way the people can grow their own crops and generate revenue to become self-sustaining.”

In addition to visiting several villages, the group saw and heard firsthand accounts about the harsh realities of life in developing countries. Fishermen at Nativity’s Tilapia Farm and Nursery in Petit Anse harvested three buckets of fish to show Food For The Poor donors their appreciation and how the fish are distributed in the community, as well as sold at market.

Group members also distributed meals to approximately 560 inmates in a Cap-Haitien prison; unloaded suitcases full of crayons, books, balls and barrettes to the children at St. Louis Girls Home; cheered on the seamstresses at Nativity Village II in Prolonge; visited Nativity Fishing Village in Petit Anse; dedicated the daCruz Library and community center in Madras; and played with children at Little Children of Jesus Home for the handicapped, a project of Food For The Poor.

Additional travelers included Theresa Danner (Burke, Va.), Hollis Hunter Jr. (Burke, Va.), Vincent Lam (South Riding, Va.), Tu Le (Springfield, Va.), James Lenertz (Springfield, Va.), Cynthia Mausolf (Springfield, Va.), Lesley Pardew (Castle Rock, Colo.), Carleen Payne (Sarasota, Fla.), Beverly Powell (Springfield, Va.), and Dennis Staszak (Fairfax, Va.).

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. 6641.

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:
Jennifer Leigh Oates
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
jennifero@foodforthepoor.com

Six villages and counting, thanks to a dedicated parish

For 13 years, Father Richard Martin, pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Burke, Va., has worked side by side with Food For The Poor to help transform the lives of hundreds of families who once lived in deplorable conditions in Haiti.

On Friday, May 27, Fr. Martin presented Food For The Poor’s CEO/President Robin Mahfood with another generous check. Nativity Parish’s 2011 Lenten collection will be used to build 100 new homes in its seventh village. “Nativity Village in Mazere” will be located in Cap-Haitien.

“Food For The Poor has delivered aid and so much more to those who are desperate for help, and together we make a difference,” said Fr. Martin, Church of the Nativity. “I want to thank all of you for being shepherds. All of you are caretakers and shepherds. What would Food For The Poor be without its shepherds?”

In 1998, Fr. Martin’s church built its first “Nativity Village” consisting of 27 homes in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with help from Food For The Poor. Since making that commitment, every year for more than a decade, Nativity has taken on additional projects to ease the suffering in the Caribbean nation. By the end of 2010, that first project at Canapé-Vert grew to six complete “Nativity Village” developments. Now, there are more than 800 houses in various parts of the country.

“Here at Food For The Poor, we are very thankful for Fr. Martin and his compassionate parishioners. Because of their loving kindness, many lives in Haiti have been changed and will continue to be changed for the better,” said Mahfood. “What a tremendous blessing Nativity has been to us.”

Since February 1999, Nativity parishioners have accompanied Fr. Martin on mission trips to Haiti, to see for themselves the fruits of their generosity. As he celebrates his 45th anniversary as a priest, he will continue the tradition, and will head back to Haiti with volunteers from his parish this summer for the ground breaking of “Nativity Village in Mazere.”

“This village will provide so much more than just 100 new sturdy homes with sanitation,” said Jim McDaniel, a Nativity parishioner and Food For The Poor staff member. “There will be a water filtration system, a community center for vocational training, and agricultural projects – this way the people can grow their own crops and generate revenue to become self-sustaining.”

Last June, 13 parishioners from Nativity Parish traveled to Cap-Haitien with Food For The Poor to visit “Nativity Village at Chastenoye,” where 50 homes were built for 50 families who were relocated from Shada. This Cap-Haitien slum is an inhumane place with no clean water; a place where the smell of garbage, along with the smell of burning trash fills the air.

Click on links for a look back at Nativity’s 2010 mission trip to Cap-Haitien, Haiti:

Part I: Church of the Nativity mission trip

Part V: Church of the Nativity mission trip

Part VII: Church of the Nativity mission trip

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of 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:
Wanda Wright
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com