Christmas Special

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

	Seventeen prisoners were released from St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on Dec. 10.
Related Item: Photos from Prisoner Releases in Jamaica and Guyana

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

New Fishing Villages

Food For The Poor Opens First Fishing Villages in Honduras

	The delivery of 12 yellow fiberglass boats signaled the opening last week of three fishing villages in Omoa and Puerto Cortes, along the Caribbean coast of Honduras. These are the first fishing village projects in Latin America to be selected and supported by Food For The Poor and its generous donors.
Related Item: See Photos from the Fishing Villages

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Sept. 5, 2014) – The delivery of 12 yellow fiberglass boats signaled the opening last week of three fishing villages in Omoa and Puerto Cortes, along the Caribbean coast of Honduras. These are the first fishing village projects in Latin America to be selected and supported by Food For The Poor and its generous donors.

Many of the fishermen who will benefit from the project have spent decades skimming the reef in decaying wooden boats with makeshift fishing equipment, only to come up empty on most attempts. These new vessels offer new hope for the neighboring communities that depend on the sea for sustenance.  

“We are very happy and we’re very grateful to everyone who made this project possible. We’ve been waiting a long time for this donation and now we have it,” said Juan Vega, an Omoa fisherman. “With the support of the fishing teams, we can now take better care of our families. Thank you.”

Each fishing village received four boats, which will be shared by a team of 16 to 28 fishermen. All of the fishermen will receive engine maintenance training. In addition to the boats and motors, the villages will be equipped with coolers and freezers, locking storage sheds, fishing tackle and safety equipment.

“Words cannot describe the satisfaction Food For The Poor has for the establishment of the three new fishing villages in Honduras. Now these men have the ability to fish in deeper waters in order to catch quality fish to eat and to sell,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “These boats are a necessary resource and will take each of these communities closer to self-sufficiency and better nutrition.”

This opening comes at a time of renewed importance on providing life-sustaining projects and hope for those at risk of leaving their home countries in search of a better life.  Food For The Poor has had many successes in providing safe housing, clean water, education and projects such as these fishing villages.

The fishermen also will receive training in deep-sea fishing techniques that will best protect the marine environment, while learning how to catch mahi-mahi, yellow-tail snapper, tuna, and kingfish, which can then be sold to regional markets, hotels and restaurants.

The international relief and development organization selected these small towns after learning about the overwhelming need there, and the cooperative reputation of their fishermen. Each team will be required to donate a portion of their catch to organizations within their own communities that help orphans, the elderly and the sick. 

                                                                                                                                                        

“The expression on the faces of these men as the fishing boats were delivered to the villages made my heart swell with pride. But watching the fisherman proudly return with their first catch to shore in their new boats, made me cry tears of joy,” said Linda Coello, Founder/President of CEPUDO.  “We are so honored to be the channel through which Food For The Poor is able to provide this blessing to the people of Honduras. We thank you, and it is our hope that God will continue to bless the donors who made this possible.”  

Plans also are in the works for Food For The Poor to install three more fishing villages in the region later this year.

Food For The Poor began serving in Honduras in 1999, one year after the Central American country was slammed by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The charity works very closely with its partner CEPUDO (Capacitación, Educación, Producción, Unificación, Desarrollo y Organización), which is based in San Pedro Sula, in order to reach those in need throughout the country.

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.

Honduras Fishing Village

Food For The Poor Creates Fishing Villages Along Honduras Coast

	Fishing is the primary source of income for hundreds of families living in the coastal communities of Omoa and Puerto Cortes, Honduras. Food For The Poor soon will replace rickety wooden boats and makeshift poles with fiberglass fishing boats with engines, modern fishing tackle, and safety equipment.
Related Item: See Photos of the Rickety Boats

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 10, 2014) – Omoa and Puerto Cortes, two coastal communities less than 10 miles apart along the Caribbean side of Honduras, have been selected by Food For The Poor as the sites for its first fishing villages in Latin America. The charity selected these small towns after learning about the overwhelming need there, and the cooperative reputation of their fishermen.

For generations, fishing has been the primary source of income for many of the families in the region. But rickety wooden boats and makeshift equipment are threatening the fishermen’s livelihoods and the health of their children, whose primary source of protein is fish. With hopes of a more lucrative catch, the fishermen fell into the rut of renting bigger boats and spending more of their already-limited income, making it very difficult to support their families.

“Food For The Poor is very excited about the establishment of these fishing villages in Honduras. The fishermen within these communities will have their own boats to share and their own equipment to safely navigate the deeper and more bountiful waters of the Caribbean,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “There are currently 16 fishing villages in operation in Jamaica and 42 in Haiti. We see the benefit of these projects in those countries, and thanks to the support of our donors; we believe the result will be the same in Honduras.”

Food For The Poor donors have agreed to provide one dozen 25-foot fiberglass fishing boats with engines for three fishing villages, two in Omoa and one in Puerto Cortes. Each fishing village will receive four boats, which will be shared by a team of 16 to 28 fishermen. All the fishermen will receive engine maintenance training. In addition to the boats and motors, the villages will be equipped with coolers and freezers, locking storage sheds, fishing tackle and safety equipment.

Instead of catching fingerlings from the reef, the fishermen will be trained in deep-sea fishing techniques that will best protect the marine environment. The fishermen also will learn how to catch mahi-mahi, yellow-tail snapper, tuna, and kingfish. These deep-sea fish can then be sold to markets, hotels and restaurants in San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ second largest city. The teams will be required to donate a portion of their catch to organizations within their own communities that help orphans, the elderly and the sick.

“Our goal has never been, nor will it ever be, to rule over people’s lives; we are simply putting faith into action. By providing individuals in the countries we serve with an opportunity to get out of poverty, we’re not giving people fish, but teaching them how to fish,” said Mahfood.

Food For The Poor began serving in Honduras in 1999, one year after the Central American country was slammed by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The charity works very closely with its partner CEPUDO (Capacitación, Educación, Producción, Unificación, Desarrollo y Organización), which is based in San Pedro Sula, in order to reach those in need throughout the country.

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.

Food For The Poor is Proud to Partner with TOMS

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (April 18, 2013) – Food For The Poor is proud to partner with TOMS to provide new shoes to children in some of the most impoverished areas of the Caribbean and Latin America. Children were so excited at one of the initial shoe distributions in Honduras that they stormed the beach to help unload boxes of TOMS Shoes from boats that had just arrived. Hoisting the boxes on their shoulders and hauling them in wheelbarrows, the children raced to the school, hoping to be first in line.

“One child was so overwhelmed by the newness and cleanness of the shoes that he did not want to put them on,” said Juan Ramon, the Cortes chapter coordinator for Cepudo, Food For The Poor’s Honduras in-country partner. “Eventually, he did put them on, and he was so proud of them.”

Even though it was a Sunday, the children dressed neatly in their school uniforms to receive their new pair of TOMS. TOMS Shoes were distributed at four schools in the poor coastal communities of Puerto Cortes, Honduras. There is no reliable electric or water source in the area, and the only available transportation is by horseback or on foot. Some children do not attend school because they do not have adequate shoes to wear. In addition, without proper footwear, children’s feet are vulnerable to cuts, injury and soil-transmitted infections. For these reasons, it is especially important that children have shoes to protect their feet.

“In developing countries, something as simple as a pair of new shoes makes a huge difference in the lives of these children,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “The TOMS Shoes that were distributed to these grateful children will continue to play an active role in the children's health, educational attainment, and self-esteem for many years.”

Through TOMS’ One for One®™ movement, new shoes will be distributed to children repeatedly as they grow. A pair of new shoes, in addition to meeting the basic needs of a child, increases their confidence, leading to better opportunities through an increase in the child’s school attendance.

“We have been able to help 100 percent of the students in the area, according to government records,” said Ramon. “This is a historic event for us and for the area. We have never been able to distribute such a large quantity of aid, and reach so many people at the same time. So far we have distributed new pairs of TOMS Shoes to more than 100 selected schools.”

Food For The Poor’s partners help with everything from self-sustaining aquaculture farms to feeding nutritious meals to school children.

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.

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a village in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet.  Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One™. Since then, TOMS has evolved from a shoe company to the One for One company, and is now addressing an entirely new need around the world in addition to shoes through eyewear.

Food For The Poor thanks Office Depot Foundation

Thanks to the generosity of the Office Depot Foundation, the international relief and development organization Food For The Poor will be able to provide 4,000 sackpacks for the children in its Angels Of Hope program in Jamaica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guyana and Guatemala.

“This beautiful donation will allow children to enter the school year with supplies that have the potential to change their lives,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “We know that if we ever are going to break the cycle of poverty, it will come through education. Through this gift, these children will be offered the chance at dignity, success and hope for the future.”

Caring donors to Food For The Poor have sponsored approximately 3,800 children in 95 homes, which are dedicated to serving orphaned, abandoned, abused and malnourished children. Many of the sackpacks already have been distributed at various Day of Celebration events at the Angels Of Hope homes. The next distribution is planned for September in Honduras.

“The Office Depot Foundation is proud to partner with Food For The Poor in our 2012 National Backpack Program,” said Mary Wong, President of Office Depot Foundation. “The fact that this partnership helps to extend the impact of the program internationally is exceptionally gratifying.  We are committed to helping children succeed in school wherever they may be.”

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.

Contact:
Kathy Skipper
Director of Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6614
kathys@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
        

Building Hope and Transforming Lives in the Mountains of Nicaragua

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 18, 2012) – Life is not easy for the families who live in the highlands of one of Central America’s largest countries. Nestled between Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south, Nicaragua is home to nearly 6 million people. Beautiful cascading waterfalls located deep within the lush green forests of its mountains mask the reality of unimaginable poverty. 

To help address the needs of the poorest of the poor in Nicaragua, donors and volunteers from Catholic parishes in the Philadelphia area have funded projects for five years and have taken annual mission trips through Food For The Poor.  In June, a group of 21 traveled with full-time volunteers Monsignor Francis X. Schmidt and Connie Hunt for the dedications of the newly completed Santa Maria Goretti Village in Pantasma and Nativity Village in La Dalia.

“Food For The Poor knows what they’re doing and Father Chuck’s Challenge has gotten a lot of contributions,” said Msgr. Schmidt. “We’ve seen a lot of progress being made in various areas, but there’s still a lot more to be done.”

More than 500 two-room homes have been built within a five year period in honor of Father Chuck Pfeffer. He was a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia who, prior to his death in 2004, was dedicated to helping the poor. Each village is provided with water, sanitation and a multi-purpose community center.  Some villages even have a school, and a medical clinic. Families also are given furnishings and trees with their new home, and are equipped with self-sustaining projects such as animal husbandry initiatives. Msgr. Schmidt, who’s 80, has taken the lead in what is now known as Father Chuck’s Challenge.

“Thanks to the kindness of strangers, help is reaching a segment of people who were living in dire and, in some cases, inhumane conditions,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “Msgr. Schmidt is an amazing human being who sincerely cares about the poor and he understands that fulfilling their physical needs is an important step toward meeting their spiritual needs.”

Much of the support for Father Chuck’s Challenge comes from dedicated donors who not only share their resources, but their time by visiting the recipients of their new homes in Nicaragua, which is an exchange of joy for the receiver and the giver.  

“Because of all the blessings I have, I feel I can give back to those who are less fortunate,” said Joan Bianco, who donated money for one of the homes. “It’s very heartwarming to know that a child will now be safe from the environment and that they will have a bed to sleep in.”    

Click to view video of how lives in the mountains of Nicaragua are being transformed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwj1-29t3AI.

To support Father Chuck’s Challenge, please make checks payable to Food For The Poor, Inc. and include the memo source code “SC #80753” so the money can be properly allocated. Donations can be mailed to Food For The Poor, Inc., 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 at www.FoodForThePoor.org/fatherchuckschallenge.

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.

Volunteers take a “hands-on” approach: FedEx helps Food For The Poor build homes in Central America

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 16, 2012) FedEx Corporation has teamed up with Food For The Poor for the first time and donated enough funds to build 12 two-room homes – six in Honduras and six in Nicaragua. 

The unique aspect of this partnership is that FedEx contractors who work in offices based in these Central American countries volunteered their time and helped with the construction and painting of these homes.

Founded in 1971 as the Federal Express Corporation, FedEx now operates in more than 200 countries. No stranger to giving back, FedEx has a history of donating funds and resources following natural disasters in the United States and abroad. Food For The Poor has a long history in Central America and feels a sense of relief that these new homes have been completed before the start of hurricane season, which was June 1. 

“We began serving in Honduras in 1999, one year after it was devastated by Hurricane Mitch, and we’ve been serving in Nicaragua since 1998. To have a corporation such as FedEx provide the financial support for us to build these homes for deserving families is wonderful, and we’re truly grateful,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

Recipients of the houses in Honduras also helped in the building process of their new homes, which were constructed just outside the city of San Pedro Sula. In Nicaragua, the new homeowners in the town of Quezalguaque helped with the painting of their houses.

Each home has two rooms, a living space, indoor sanitation and a water cistern to collect rain water for laundry and other household uses. The structures are built on a cement foundation and are topped with sturdy zinc roofs.  To date, Food For The Poor has built:

·         5,145 homes in Honduras

·         14,110 homes in Nicaragua

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
Director of Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.org                                                         

Food For The Poor organizes prisoner releases nonviolent offenders freed in Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and Honduras

In anticipation of Christmas, Food For The Poor released prisoners who have committed nonviolent offenses in Jamaica (22), Guyana (25), Haiti (36) and Honduras (2). They were incarcerated due to their inability to pay required fines. Eighty-five prisoners have been released in these countries in time to spend Christmas with their families.

“When you visit a prison, desperate eyes peer out of the dark cells, into the light, pleading silently for help,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s CEO/President. “They want to feel a connection with the outside world, to be a brother in Christ, to be prayed for – and to not be forgotten.”

In developing countries, the destitute sometimes have no way to feed their families other than to steal food. The consequence often is imprisonment without first appearing before a judge, or receiving a prison sentence. Sometimes, by the time they are tried, they have spent years longer in jail than their prison sentence requires.

Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program is based on the scripture, “When was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you,” (Matthew 25: 31-46).

Mahfood visited a prison in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, this year with 17 priests and pastors. Together they prayed for the inmates, who live in decrepit buildings and are at the mercy of disease outbreaks, such as cholera. Prison cells measuring 16-by-16 feet sometimes hold more than 30 men.

Since the inception of Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program in 2000, more than 1,048 prisoners have been reintroduced back into the community as productive citizens. Food For The Poor works with the prisoners before and after they are released to ensure they will not be repeat offenders.

“Behave yourself, because in there [it is] rough,” said a 34-year-old former Jamaican inmate, when asked if he had any advice for youngsters outside of the penal institutions. “I appreciate the help from Food For The Poor,” he continued, “because my mother had been helping to take care of my children while I was in there, but they are my responsibility and I just wanted to come out and be a father to them.”

This year in Jamaica, a total of 22 inmates were released from prisons in Mandeville, Spanish Town and St. Catherine.

“All of us deserve a second chance and we have given these men and women that opportunity,” said Sandra Ramsay, administrator of the prison ministry at Food For The Poor-Jamaica.

Twice a year – during the Christmas and Easter seasons – the Food For The Poor Prison Ministry Program releases inmates who have committed minor offenses. Prison authorities have found Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program to be so successful that they have implemented a similar program themselves. Some prisons now offer inmates jobs in the prison where they are held so that they can earn money to pay off their fines.

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.

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

Four Central American countries suffer devastating effects of storm

Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador are faced with the prospect of hundreds of dead and thousands homeless, after a relentless 10-day tropical depression flooded out bridges, roads and homes. Those killed include 32 in El Salvador, 29 in Guatemala, 13 in Honduras and eight in Nicaragua, according to local officials in a Tuesday report.

In El Salvador alone, the toll is extreme. Fr. David Blanchard, who has served as a missionary in El Salvador since the late 1980s, provided this report today to Food For The Poor:

“Twelve bridges have been destroyed, isolating much of the country from the capital, ports and airport. Six provinces are completely isolated from the rest of the country. In San Salvador, 10,000 people are now in organized shelters. Across the country, there are an additional 5,000 in shelters, although many more have sought refuge with families and neighbors. The total number of internally displaced persons is estimated at 100,000.”

Food For The Poor is rushing containers of water and hygiene supplies to help, but also needs the help of the public. There is an urgent need for canned meat, canned fish, canned milk, and canned beans. Tarps also are needed. Please take these items to Food For The Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL. Donations will be accepted starting Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 9 a.m. Cash donations also may be made by calling 1-800-427-9104, and referring to source code 082580.

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

Thanks to 13 strangers, homes are being built in Honduras

Just three months after a group of 13 strangers from varied backgrounds traveled to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with Food For The Poor, the group has generated enough donations to build a double-unit home.

The new home funded by the group will be built in the Santa Barbara region later this summer. The group wants to build three more double-unit homes and will need to raise $9,600 to make this dream a reality for three more families in desperate need of sturdy housing.

With many families in the mountain region of Santa Barbara living in makeshift dwellings, the construction of even one home can become a community event. The group experienced happiness after they completed Efigenia Ramirez’s 400-square-foot house in April. Ramirez’s neighbors gathered and clapped with joy when Food For The Poor presented her with the key to a new home for herself and her family of 11.

“When we take groups on a mission trip, it’s primarily for them to meet the people who are benefiting from their generous donations, for them to see for themselves how their gifts in kind and monetary contributions are being put to use,” said Food For The Poor’s Executive Director Angel Aloma. “The fact that the mission group on their first ever ‘Journey of Hope’ to Honduras committed themselves to building homes for the people they met there is truly wonderful.”

Food For The Poor began serving in Honduras in 1999, soon after Hurricane Mitch devastated the Central American country, and has built more than 3,000 homes to date, providing thousands of families with sturdy houses. The concrete block houses are built on a cement foundation and have porches, windows, bathrooms and are topped with a sturdy zinc roof.

Because of the Honduras House Matching Program, Food For The Poor is now able to construct a double-housing unit for each family selected to receive a home. This program was developed to address the critical housing shortage in Honduras. Funds are earmarked for a house matching project, meaning that for each single-unit home that Food For The Poor builds, another single-unit home will be built. Therefore, every $3,200.00 donated will result in the construction of one double-unit home, consisting of two bedrooms, one living room, and a bathroom.

To help with the project, please visit the mission group's Champions For The Poor page.

Chicago-area lawyer Susan O’Neal, who was one of the mission trip participants, recently was featured in an American Bar Association Journal photo.

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

Strangers unite in a journey of hope for Honduras

It’s been 12 years in the making, and now 13 strangers from varied backgrounds will be forever united after making a commitment to help the poorest of the poor in Honduras. The group decided to put words into action, and fund a home building project after traveling with Food For The Poor on its first mission trip to the Central American country in early April.

“I was at my happiest on this trip when we as a group were doing something to help the people,” said Jeanne Johnson, a volunteer from Kansas. “I was so pleased that we actually got to do projects instead of driving past the people and observing from afar.”

On the first day, the team braved the heat as they gathered in the courtyard of a Food For The Poor-sponsored warehouse in San Pedro Sula. They stuffed big plastic bags with smaller bags of beans, rice, sugar, juices, personal care items and treats for the children. After a few hours in the still-rising heat, nearly 200 bags were delivered to the village of Ocotillo, a 30-minute ride from the complex.

Dozens of women, children and elderly waited patiently for their monthly supply of much needed and much appreciated goods. Many in the group of travelers did not speak Spanish, but that didn’t matter because the exchange between giver and receiver spoke louder than any words.

“Realizing that one family must live off of one bag of sugar, one bag of beans, and one bag of rice seemed ludicrous,” said Sarah Rohrman, from New Jersey. “However, knowing that this is how so many families live day-by-day really puts things into perspective.”

“In spite of their plight, the sincere happiness I see in these children’s faces is truly amazing. They have so little, I will never forget what I am seeing here today,” said Joshua Miller of Ohio.

The second stop in Ocotillo was at the city dump. Vultures, cows, pigs, goats, and dogs wandered, while people picked through mounds of garbage, working side-by-side in search of sellable goods and food. For some, this way of life has existed for generations. The “pickers,” as they’re called, wanted the group to ask God to please bless the garbage in order that their daily needs would be found in the trash – an odd request that brought all who heard it to tears.

“Mentally, the most meaningful site was the Ocotillo village and the dump. Both locations brought home to me the true sense of the need for education, and the assistance the very poor of the country also need,” said Doug Frederick, from Pennsylvania.

With many in need of sturdy housing, the second workday began with a two hour drive from San Pedro Sula into the mountain region of Santa Barbara. After weaving through hairpin turns, and cruising near cliffs so high the valley below was barely in view, the group reached the work site. They hiked up a steep hill and began constructing the foundations of two, two-room homes for a family of 16, who all shared a one-room hut on a ridge very close to the construction site.

“I am blown away by all of this because I am actually building a house for someone and it feels great!” said Anita Buckmaster of Texas.

The home building didn’t end there, the group traveled to a third housing site where they mortared, installed windows, and painted the front of the house green and orange. The 400-square-foot house has a porch, rests on a cement foundation, has a bathroom and is topped with a sturdy zinc roof.

The excitement came full circle when Efigenia Ramirez was presented with a key to a new home for herself and her family of 11.

“It’s beautiful, it’s so beautiful,” said Ramirez, in Spanish. “I thank you; thank you all for helping me and my family. I love the colors.”

The third and final workday began at the Pimienta Training Center in the Sula Valley where the group got to experience the harvesting of tilapia from a fish farm, animal husbandry projects and the planting of Moringa trees.

“My daughter, Ellie, and I feel blessed to have this opportunity to help the people of Honduras. The hands-on approach to various projects, such as planting these amazing trees, is one of many unforgettable experiences for us,” said Sofia Goerdt of Minnesota.

“Each site was very meaningful, but I recognize the vital importance of the training center because it teaches people how to be self-sufficient,” added Diana Scheeler from Illinois.

The team also visited an AIDS hospice facility and passed out hygiene kits to patients who are well enough to live outside the facility. The time the volunteers spent with the residents may have been short, but the precious moments of loving kindness and the exchange of compassion made a powerful impact.

“Those who are poor, and/or disabled in the United States have access to programs like free clinics, social security, disability, public aid, etcetera – they don’t,” said Susan O’Neal of Illinois.

The third workday ended with a visit to a home for 33 children living with HIV/AIDS. To hear their laugher and to see their smiles made it easy to forget they are ill. Many in the group paired off and distributed toys, school supplies and treats to the children.

“This was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. I feel blessed to have been a part of this mission,” said Deacon Ron Karcher of Illinois.

“We are so excited to finally be able to send a mission group to Honduras for the first time so they see for themselves the various projects we have in place there,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “I am looking forward to many more mission trips to the Central American country in the near future. By working together we will be able to permanently transform lives.”

Please visit www.foodforthepoor.org/hondurasapril2011 to learn how to help with this home building project.

To view more pictures from the trip, 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 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

Doral Overseas Chinese Business Chamber honors Food For The Poor

The Doral Overseas Chinese Business Chamber will honor the work of the international relief and development organization Food For The Poor on May 14, when the chamber has its second annual gala to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Food For The Poor has had a long and fruitful partnership with the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), resulting in numerous projects in several of the countries served by Food For The Poor. For three years, Taiwan worked through Food For The Poor to send 40 containers of rice each month to Haiti. Then, immediately after the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake, Taiwan again stepped up to help with a donation of more than 400 tons of rice. The two organizations also have partnered on computer, agriculture and aquaculture projects, providing long-term solutions to hunger, not only in Haiti, but in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

“We’re blessed to have the support of the Doral Overseas Chinese Business Chamber and the Taiwan ICDF, two organizations that care about the poor,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “Together, we can make a tremendous difference in the lives of those who have nothing. We are honored to be recognized by them on this very important occasion.”

George Yap, CEO of LEASA Industries Co, Inc. also will be honored at the dinner and awards ceremony. Yap, a Jamaican Chinese, is active in South Florida Jamaican and Asian communities and is a champion of the poor.

The event will be at 6:30 p.m. on May 14 at Doral Golf Resort & Spa, 4400 NW 87th Ave., Doral, FL 33178. Guests will enjoy dinner and special dance performances, in addition to the awards ceremony.

“We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Food For The Poor, and hope to do our part in raising money for our neighbors in Haiti. After learning about how Food For The Poor helped Haitians build new homes, our chamber donated enough money to build one home for a Haitian family,” said Charles Cheng, CEO of the chamber. “I hope we will be able to raise more money on May 14 so Food For The Poor may build many more homes in Haiti and help transform the lives of many more people in Haiti.”

For more information about how to purchase tickets for the event, contact the Doral Overseas Chinese Business Chamber:

Charles Cheng, CEO
305-421-8978
doralocbc@gmail.com

Pedro Cheng, VP
305-793-8673
doralocbc2pedrocheng@gmail.com

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the United States, 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.

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

From Louisiana, With Love: Child Sends Shoes to Girl in Honduras

When little Bailey Guillotte heard a Food For The Poor speaker talk about barefoot girls climbing rocky Honduran hillsides to fetch water for their families, the solution seemed simple to her. Bailey, 4, handed her pair of black patent shoes to Fr. Barry Thiering on the way out the door, and accepted a ride in her father’s arms to their car.

She asked one thing – that the shoes go to a little girl in Honduras. The international relief and development agency Food For The Poor did just as she requested.

The little girl who received the shoes lives on the island of Roatan, Honduras, with her mother, father, a brother and three sisters. The family lives in a village of 38 houses built by Food For The Poor. The terrain is steep and rocky, just as Bailey learned in her New Iberia, La., church service. The good news for the little girl in Honduras is that she has new shoes, and because of the new village, she and her sisters no longer will have to go for water. Now, they will be able to go to school instead, thus completing another step in breaking the cycle of poverty.

“Bailey is only 4, and I wasn’t sure how much of the message she understood,” said Gwen Guillotte, her mother. “But she wanted to give her shoes, and I watched as this really tiny girl looked up at the very tall speaker and told him she wanted to give her shoes to another girl ‘so she won’t cut her feet.’ ”

The Rev. Canon Larry Wilkes, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in New Iberia, unsurprised by Bailey’s generosity, said, “The Guillotte family has a wonderful heart, and this demonstrates that Bailey is learning from her parents to be a loving and giving child.”

In many developing countries, it is the mothers and daughters who are charged with the responsibility of finding and hauling clean water. They often have to go many miles to find the water, and it consumes so much time that getting an education is out of the question. Providing housing with sanitation, and clean water sources is a proven way to get the girls in school and start to break the cycle of poverty.

“Bailey’s simple, sacrificial gift shows all of us the powerful difference that one person – even a very tiny one – can make. That is how we measure what we do,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “We count our victories by saving one child at a time, one family at a time, one village at a time.”

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.

Food For The Poor’s Christmas Catalog Offers Gifts of Love For Those Who Have Everything and Those Who Have Nothing

In today’s current economy, the South Florida-based humanitarian organization Food For The Poor offers unique gift ideas that will continue to provide comfort and joy long after Christmas has passed. Food For The Poor’s gift catalog is filled with opportunities to change lives in this season of love and hope.

The heartfelt gifts offered through Food For The Poor’s gift catalog epitomize the spirit of giving – and will positively change the lives of those who have nothing. For $36, you can give the gift of life by feeding a malnourished child for a year. Or you can even choose to give farm animals – like chickens, pigs, goats, donkeys and cows – to provide an income and source of nutrition for destitute families.

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, Food For The Poor remains committed to investing in water projects.

“What we can easily access with the twist of a tap is considered a precious gift by the poorest of the poor,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “Your Christmas gift to provide clean water will help answer the prayers of villagers who desperately need this lifesaving resource.”

Food For The Poor is equally committed to building safe and sturdy permanent housing. Families, companies or groups of employees can jointly fund the cost of $3,100 for a one-room home with latrine. Food For The Poor homes can be built in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica and Nicaragua. The family who is moved out of a leaking, dilapidated shack into a real home will always remember that they are blessed.

Food For The Poor’s gift catalog is based on the scripture, “…give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,” (Matthew 19:21).

The catalog offers a wide variety of gifts to fit any budget – from a fruit tree for $10, or a gift of a donkey for $150, to providing a community with a lifesaving water pump for $205.

Some of the catalog’s creative gift ideas enable communities to sustain themselves economically. Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. Tilapia ponds provide entire villages with an ongoing food source; fishing villages provide the boats, engines, tackle and equipment needed for the fishermen to support their families.

All gifts are tax-deductible. To send a gift, the catalog can be accessed through the charity’s secure Web site or a printed version of the catalog is available by calling 800-427-9104.

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. We provide 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.