Orlando Gala Emcee

Channel 6’s Tom Sorrells to Emcee A Celebration of Hope Gala

	Tom Sorrells, of WKMG Channel 6, will serve as master of ceremonies at the Orlando gala.
Related Items: Reserve Your Seat Tour a Manneville Home

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 16, 2014) – Tom Sorrells, an Emmy award-winning meteorologist for WKMG Channel 6, will serve as master of ceremonies for Food For The Poor’s  A Celebration of Hope gala in Orlando on Saturday, Sept. 13. The 15th annual event will feature dining, music, dancing, and a live house rally.

A Celebration of Hope gala attendees will be invited to help build critically-needed houses for families in Manneville, Haiti, during the charity’s live house rally. For additional information regarding A Celebration of Hope gala, sponsorship levels, and tickets, available at $175 per person, please call 1-888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/orlando.

Dr. Lynne Nasrallah, who serves on the Food For The Poor Board of Directors and as the gala’s Chairwoman, has traveled to Manneville several times on mission trips with Orlando-area residents. They have seen firsthand the community’s deplorable living conditions, and met the families who rely on their voices to raise money to construct safe, permanent two-room houses with sanitation and access to water.

The gala’s presenting sponsor is Rosen Shingle Creek and Rosen Hotels & Resorts. Gala sponsors include Almar Travel, Greenburg Trauig, Central Florida Marriott Business Council, PTE Productions and S1-Safety 1st Drug Testing.

A Celebration of Hope gala executive committee members include Anibal and Maritza Beltran, Shoshana Cohen, Cynthia Hawkins, Patty Holland, Rebecca James, Marie Morales Johnson, Anis Khalaf, Kathy Kinchla, Brad Levine, Bernadette McComb, Rob and Elizabeth O’Brien, and Ryan Shaughnessy. Additional committee members include Linda Bonnewitz, The del Campo Family, Janice Chong, Trevor and Freda Dieffenthaller, Jason Gingras, Laura McDonald, Paul Mylod, Nicole Nasrallah, Lisa Padilla, Nancy Padilla, Patricia Perfito, Anne Pinkosh, The Santana Family, Kelly Wilkes, Holly Wilson, and Jean and Donna Wilson.

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 earthquake

	Christella, 14, who lives in Grand Boulage, Haiti, now has access to clean drinking water that's being pumped from a well provided by Food For The Poor donors. Since the 2010 earthquake, Food For The Poor has installed 71 water filtration units that purify 710,000 gallons of water each day, and drilled 257 water wells. Together, these projects provide a safe water source for more than a million people.
Related Items: See More Photos on Facebook Donate to Rebuilding Effort in Haiti

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 9, 2014) – Making the transition from surviving to living has not been easy for those who endured the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, but it is happening.

Lucienne, 39, and her four children are one of those families. They were forced to live in a tent city after the earthquake destroyed their home, a small business and presumably claimed the life of her husband, who has not been seen since the earthquake. Today, Lucienne and her children have a new life, a new home, and new dreams – thanks to Food For The Poor and its generous donors.

“As the fourth anniversary of the earthquake approaches, and the world remembers the more than 250,000 people killed on that fateful day, it is equally important to remember the survivors,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “With the help of compassionate donors, the lives of thousands are being impacted in a positive way, thanks to Food For The Poor and a number of great organizations that are committed to helping the people of Haiti to rebuild their lives and homeland.”

The international relief and development organization Food For The Poor began working in Haiti in 1986. With nearly 28 years of faithful service within the country, the organization has been able to work efficiently and continuously towards the earthquake recovery effort.

Since the 2010 earthquake, Food For The Poor has:

• Built 4,364 permanent two-room concrete block homes with water and sanitation components.
• Built and restored 30 schools in the Port-au-Prince region.
• Shipped 4,076 containers of gifts in kind and purchased items, including rice/soy meals, medicine, medical supplies, school and dorm furniture, tile, shoes, hygiene items, household items, cleaning supplies, and construction supplies.
• Installed 71 water filtration units that purify 710,000 gallons of clean water each day, and drilled a total of 257 wells.
• Signed an agreement with Haiti’s Fonds d’Assistance Economique et Sociale (Fund for Economic and Social Assistance) to build 1,000 homes in the northern corridor with earthquake and hurricane resistant materials.

An estimated 1.3 million were left homeless after the earthquake in 2010. Even though housing conditions have improved, today there are more than 170,000 Haitians still living under tents in hundreds of camps according to the (IOM) International Organization for Migration. These camps are dehumanizing, dangerous and are a breeding ground for waterborne diseases.

Food For The Poor is committed to building sturdy and secure homes for as many families in need as possible, supplying communities and schools with a clean water source.

Click here to meet some of the people you’ve helped and to continue your ongoing support in the recovery effort. 

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.

        

Marlins, Food For The Poor celebrate Inspiration Village

When representatives of the Florida Marlins and Waste Management walked into Inspiration Village in Malfety, Haiti, last week, the residents greeted them with marching bands, dancers and words of deep gratitude. Hundreds of men, women, and children gathered in front of the community center to thank the team that raised funds and awareness to build much-needed housing.

In addition to the opening of the village, the group also visited the poor in an area called Shada, near Cap-Haitien. The garbage-filled landscape there is peppered with crude shacks, unclothed children dirty from the mud, and mothers whose eyes have been robbed of any hope. Shada literally means misery in Creole, and it was a stark contrast to the new village.

“Inspiration Village has a truly perfect name. For those fortunate enough to escape the inhuman conditions of Shadda, this village is a life saver,” said Sean Flynn, Marlins Senior Vice President of Marketing. “By just looking into the faces of those in Inspiration Village, you can see the wide-eyed look of hope, happiness and comfort; feelings that were absent in the despair of the Shadda community.”

In addition to Flynn, Marlins representatives P.J. Loyello, Senior Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting; Angela Smith, Director of Community Outreach, Billy The Marlin and Marlins front office staff made the trip to Haiti. Dawn McCormick, Community Affairs Manager for Waste Management, also traveled to Haiti to see the houses that company helped to build.

Donations to the Homes for Haiti campaign led to the construction of Inspiration Village, which consists of 41 two-room houses with personal sanitation units. The community has a water well, a solar powered water purification unit, and a community center to offer the opportunity for further education including vocational skills and training in agriculture and animal husbandry. These services will help the farmers achieve better results, and enable them to support their families and make the community sustainable.

"The Florida Marlins were extremely proud to team up with Food for the Poor on this extraordinary project,” Loyello said. “Inspiration Village has provided 41 families a home, as well as safety and dignity, as they get their lives back together after the natural disasters over the last couple of years. This project has certainly been an inspiration for all of us who've been involved."

A little girl who now lives in Inspiration Village summed it up for residents and visitors when she stood on the porch of the community center, and with the help of a translator, expressed her feelings.

“Today, we can say with the help of Food For The Poor and the Marlins, that there is no more sleeping in the rain, no more living in the sun. We have clean sanitation, where before we had to go in the bushes. Now, we say down with cholera, down with malaria, down with other diseases, because of you.”

The need for housing in this area exceeds the homes Inspiration Village already provides. If you are interested in assisting with additional housing projects, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org/homesforhaiti to make your donation today.

To view additional photos from the inauguration ceremony, please visit Food For The Poor's Facebook page.

Food For The Poor, the third-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 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.

Contacts:

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

Carolina Perrina
Florida Marlins
Director, Business Communications
305-626-7389
cperrina@marlins.com

Marlins hit a homerun in their swing to build homes for Haiti

The Florida Marlins scored big when it came to helping the people of Haiti. The Marlins teamed up with Food For The Poor to raise funds and awareness following the Jan. 12 earthquake.

The goal of the “Homes for Haiti” fundraising campaign was to build much-needed housing in a nation where more than 1 million people have been displaced. Thanks to this collaborative effort between the baseball team and the charity the “Village of Inspiration” will soon be built.

“I could not be prouder of what the Marlins and Food For The Poor have achieved. This village is aptly named. Anyone setting foot in the country will be inspired by the will of the people and the spirit of philanthropy that has driven this project. My season was shortened by injury, but aiding the Marlins and Food For The Poor in this process has resulted in my most productive season as a Major League Baseball player. March can't come soon enough. I can't wait go back to Haiti and be inspired again,” stated Florida Marlins Catcher, John Baker.

Baker, along with members of the Marlins’ front office and Kim Bacardi, traveled to Haiti on July 6 and 7 to see firsthand the destitute living conditions of families in Port-au-Prince, as well as in Cap-Haitien, where some of those fleeing the capital have moved.

“This is truly a blessing for the people of Haiti, and we are extremely grateful to the Florida Marlins for partnering with us to help build homes in order to provide as many people as we can with adequate housing,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “We understand that this is an ongoing task and that the tent cities are filled with thousands now homeless because of that devastating earthquake, but because of their generosity more than two dozen families will soon have a home of their own.”

Ground breaking for the “Village of Inspiration” will take place in an area just outside of Port-au-Prince where 25 two-room homes will be built. A community center also will be erected in the village thanks to donations generated by events local philanthropist Kim Bacardi has hosted. In addition to the two-room homes, Food For The Poor will install sanitation and water projects in the village.

On Friday, Nov. 5, Bacardi, founder of The Good Karma Group, has organized an event at Saks Fifth Avenue at Dadeland Mall with proceeds to aid in the construction of a community center in the Marlins’ “Village of Inspiration.” The event offers a 15 percent shoppers discount on select items for the day; coupons are available at the store’s registers. Five percent of sales generated will be donated to Food For The Poor. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Erwin Creed, heir to the CREED fragrance Dynasty, will be present. During the 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. cocktail reception, Food For The Poor will honor the Marlins’ completion of the “Homes For Haiti” campaign. 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson and Marlins’ first baseman Gaby Sanchez, will receive the honor on behalf of the Marlins organization.

Come celebrate fashion and shop for a great cause. Enjoy music by celebrity DJ Maximus 300, while mingling with baseball legends and enjoying light bites catered by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and sweets donated by Cupcakes by Hilda. As a tribute to the Marlins generosity, celebrity designer Gustavo Cadile has created a Marlin blue gown for Bacardi to wear at the event. Winston Delawar Photography will document the occasion.

The campaign with the Marlins may have ended, but it’s never too late to support building homes in Haiti, go to the Homes For Haiti Web page.

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.

Miami Philanthropists Crazy About Helping Others

Looking for a memorable night on the town and an opportunity to donate to charity? You are invited to experience Miami’s newest ocean view restaurant, “Crazy About You” on Brickell Bay Drive, Oct. 2. The event, chaired by Kimberly Bacardi and hosted with restaurant owners Carlos Galan and JC Chamizo, will raise money for the Food For The Poor and Florida Marlins “Homes For Haiti” campaign.

During Bacardi’s eye-opening travel experience throughout Haiti with Food For The Poor and a group from the Florida Marlins, she realized how she and others can make a difference in Haiti – one person, one family at a time. Event proceeds will be used to construct the Good Karma Community Center in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. The center will provide a place for a health clinic and vocational training classes. Extra funds will be used to fulfill other needs within the community – housing, solar power and animal husbandry projects, for example.

“I encourage others to donate to this cause – only an hour and a half by plane from Miami we can move people out of garbage-filled swamps and slums, into new homes, a new village,” said Bacardi. “You also have an opportunity to travel with Food For The Poor on a mission trip to see how your donation positively affects change.”

The evening’s events will honor Bina Fink, and include live entertainment by Ariel Rose, and a sit-down dinner prepared by Chef ZeCarlos. RSVP to Kim’s Good Karma Group by e-mailing GoodKarmaMiami@aol.com. Suggested minimum donation is $50 to attend the 6:30 p.m. dinner at Crazy About You, 1155 Brickell Bay Drive, MARK Building, Miami, FL 33130.

Please make checks payable to Food For The Poor and include the special source code “SC# 70264.” Donations can be mailed to Food For The Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. All gifts are tax-deductible. Online donations can also be made through the charity’s secure Web site.

Committee members include: Kim Bacardi, Ruby Bacardi, Steven Bauer, Dhardra Blake, April Bolet, Pilar Bosch, May Caine, Cesar Cardoza, Rose Cardoza, Leo Casino, Damourude Ceant, Nelcida Chakoff, Lori Chipnik, Geo Darder, Norma Estrada, Yovanna Farley, Jessica Felicaiano, Lisa Gaylord, Aaron Glickman, Maria Eugenia Guerra, Margie Hawayek, Ligia Houben, Mike Kalamaras, Phyllis Kane, Barbara Kliene, Vivian Lacorra, Merdocery LaFrance, Linda Levy Goldberg, Silvia Lima, Dana Mark, Richard Martinez, Frederick W. Mclendon, Moira Rauch, Marvi Rodriguez Garces, Lois H. Rubin, Nicole Sapah Gulian, Sunny Singh, Sondra Soven, Dana Shear, Praveen Yalamanchi, and Bridget Baratto Sanchez.

Event sponsors include: WBFS Channel 33 MyNetworkTV personality Mike Sherman, Neiman Marcus, Merrick Park; Saks Fifth Avenue, Dadeland Mall, and Eventos Magazine.

Food For The Poor, the 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.

Philanthropists Bacardi and Grass Tip Birthday Hats to Food For The Poor

Kimberly Bacardi and Natalie Grass hosted their joint birthday party luncheon at “Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita” restaurant on Aug. 25. The vibrant pair passed on receiving personal gifts – asking friends and family instead to send good karma and monetary donations in their honor to the South Florida-based nonprofit Food For The Poor.

The surprise chocolate frosted and fondant birthday cake was made by celebrity Chef Ron Duprat, from Season 6 of Top Chef. Chocolate mousse separated the chocolate and vanilla cake layers, and an icing Haitian flag design was the perfect thank you on behalf of those the birthday girls are helping in Haiti. First prize for best hat went to lawyer Natasha Mayne with her stunning purple-plumed bonnet from Neiman Marcus.

Wearing their most stylish hats, guests listened to stories from Bacardi’s eye-opening travel experience to Haiti with Food For The Poor and a group from the Florida Marlins.

“Horrendous living conditions exist in Haiti – only an hour and a half by plane from Miami,” said Bacardi. “I plan to return to Haiti in the future with Food For The Poor to see how our donations have been used to build a village and positively affect change.”

During Bacardi’s journey to Haiti, she visited Food For The Poor-sponsored orphanages, handicapped homes, feeding centers and villages. Bacardi’s goal is to inspire others to realize they can make a difference in Haiti – one person, one family at a time.

“By traveling to Haiti, Kim’s presence gave those she met and hugged renewed hope,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “By using their birthdays to do good for others, Kim and Natalie exemplify the importance of cheerful giving, and that it is more fulfilling to give than it is to receive.”

Birthday monies will go toward the Food For The Poor and Florida Marlins “Homes For Haiti” campaign to construct the Good Karma Community Center in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. The center will provide a place for a health clinic and vocational training classes. Extra funds will be used to fulfill other needs within the community – housing, solar power and animal husbandry projects, for example.

To support Bacardi and Grass’s effort, please make checks payable to Food For The Poor and include the special source code “SC# 70264.” Donations can be mailed to 7824 SW 193 Street, Miami, FL 33157. All gifts are tax-deductible. Online donations can also be made through the charity’s secure Web site, www.foodforthepoor.org/goodkarmagroup.

Food For The Poor, the 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.

Waste Management Helps Marlins Build Homes for Haiti

Waste Management presented a $50,000 donation to the Florida Marlins “Homes for Haiti” campaign during the pre-game ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 22. The funds will support the Marlins team initiative to build much-needed housing in Haiti with the international relief and development organization Food For The Poor. Approximately 4,500 Waste Management employees and community partners were in attendance for the check presentation.

For more than 24 years, Food For The Poor has worked to help the people of Haiti by constructing homes and villages, installing water wells, implementing self-sustainable projects, and distributing food and emergency relief supplies. The Jan. 12 earthquake displaced more than 1 million people – most of whom remain homeless today during hurricane season.

“We are grateful to the Florida Marlins and Waste Management for all they have done to bring awareness to the urgent need for safe, permanent housing in Haiti,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with Food For The Poor and the Marlins in this vital effort to bring housing and hope to those in great need,” said Dawn McCormick, Community Affairs Manager for Waste Management in South Florida. “It is gratifying to support our Haitian co-workers, many of whom lost family members in the earthquake, by participating in this effort that will put families into permanent homes and provide them with a safe and more secure future.”

The Waste Management donation will provide 10 two-room homes in the Florida Marlins village. Food For The Poor homes are permanent, sturdy concrete construction with rebar reinforcements, and strong corrugated zinc roofs. The charity is ramping up its capacity for building, and homes are going up in Jacmel, Pierre Payen, Trou Du Nord, Demier, Chastenoye, Delogner, Gros Chaudiere, Mahotiere, Leogane, and Grand Goave.

Marlins catcher John Baker, along with members of the Marlins’ front office traveled to Haiti on July 6 and 7 to see firsthand the destitute living conditions of families in Port-au-Prince, as well as in Cap-Haitien, where some of those fleeing the capital have moved.

“The trip to Haiti was an eye-opening experience; it was an awakening for me,” Baker said. “Most people don’t think of this kind of poverty being just an hour and a half by plane from Florida. Looking at pictures doesn’t do it justice. Until you have walked where they walk, and smelled what they smell, you really cannot understand.”

To donate, go to foodforthepoor.org/HomesForHaiti or text “Haiti” to 25383 and donate $10.

Food For The Poor, the 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.