Fifty families have moved into secure homes in Olivier, Deuxieme Plaine, Haiti, just weeks before the hurricane season traditionally heats up in the Caribbean. These permanent homes were built from funds raised in February at the Building Hope Gala in Boca Raton, Fla. Construction on the homes and community center started in March, and all of the families were moved to safety by mid-July.
“The appalling conditions that we have found so many children and their families living in throughout the Caribbean and Latin America are unimaginable,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor's President/CEO. “Without safe, permanent shelter the destitute are often wet and cold when it rains, and live in fear of landslides sweeping them into the sea.”
For more than 30 years, Food For The Poor has worked to bring relief to poor families, caring for their basic needs, and giving them a chance to live and work again. In addition to building the 50 two-room homes and community center in Olivier, chicken and cattle rearing projects have also been implemented with money raised at the gala.
“I can’t believe people have to live like this, it really breaks my heart,” said committee member Becky Carlsson, as she described the inhumane conditions she witnessed in Haiti. “They are not really houses, they are little one-room shacks of metal and tin that families live in.”
The 2012 committee chairs included Cathy and Abdol Moabery (Event Co-Chairpersons), Ronda and David Gluck (Event Co-Chairpersons), and Rene and Francis Mahfood (Honorary Chairpersons).
The 18th annual gala will be Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 at The Polo Club of Boca Raton. For additional information regarding the Building Hope Gala, benefactor levels, and tickets, available at $250 per person, please call 1-888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/boca.
Attendees will be invited to create a legacy by pledging to build critically needed houses in Jamaica during the charity’s “live house rally.” There are pockets of immense poverty throughout Jamaica, but because the country relies heavily on tourism, the harsh reality of destitution often is concealed.
“With the support of Food For The Poor’s donors and committees such as this, we have been able to raise enough funds to build 10 homes a day, seven days a week in the countries we serve,” said Mahfood. “Each home has two rooms, plus a toilet and a shower, and a porch for cooking. They are ‘a shelter from the raging wind and the storm.’ ” (Psalm 55:8).
Since the earthquake, Food For The Poor has built 3,261 two-room homes in Haiti.
Committee members for the 2013 Building Hope Gala include Laurie Braden, Kelly Brauner, Becky Carlsson, Melissa Davimos, Ronda Ellis Ged, Ronda Gluck, Michele Greene, LaMae Klos, Robin Ranzal Knowles, Julie Mahfood, Rene Mahfood, Pamela Matsil, Cathy Moabery, Jill Perea
Tashia Rahl, Kara Seelye, Natasha Singh, Renee Stetler, Holly Strogoff, Allison Venditti, Patricia Wallace, and Traci 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 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
Showing posts with label Polo Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Polo Club. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2012
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Boca committee members open their hearts to Haiti
To kick-start the much anticipated 17th annual Food For The Poor Building Hope Gala, seven committee members from the Boca Raton/Lighthouse Point communities traveled to Haiti Nov. 7-9 with the South Florida-based nonprofit. The committee members traveled as ambassadors to witness first-hand the condition of the people and to learn how the nonprofit continues to improve their lives and living conditions.
“It was a very sad day, but a great experience – a life adjusting experience,” said Rene Mahfood, the event’s Honorary Chairperson after her first day in Haiti. “What we saw today puts everything in perspective. You think about how expensive life is back home and all the things you can’t afford. Then you realize that all those material things don’t matter. None of it matters. All that matters is having a roof over your head, being able to clothe your children and having food to eat.”
The gala will be Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 at The Polo Club of Boca Raton. Attendees will be invited to create a legacy by pledging to build critically needed houses during the charity’s live house-rally. Last year’s energized crowd pledged to construct a record 60 housing units – to restore hope and to shelter the destitute in the Caribbean and Latin America. This year more than 350 caring South Florida residents are expected to attend.
“We’re blessed,” said Ronda Gluck, Event Co-Chairperson, after she visited a family in Cité Soleil who will soon receive a new Food For The Poor house. “We have no idea the luxuries we live in, compared to this house. It’s nothing. I feel terrible. These families are blessed to be receiving a home.”
“I don’t believe these people live in the same world that I do – only a two hour plane ride away,” said Kara Seelye, an event committee member. “It’s disturbing. You just don’t get it when you’re a Boca housewife. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. The only way we can build more houses for people is by sharing what we’ve seen. More people need to come and see it for themselves.”
Proceeds from this year’s Building Hope Gala will fund the construction of homes in Haiti. According to the United Nations’ shelter committee the catastrophic 2010 earthquake initially left 1.3 million people in Haiti homeless. Today approximately 600,000 are still without shelter. More than 2,400 two-room permanent homes have been built by Food For The Poor in Haiti since the January 2010 earthquake.
“It’s important for these people to experience poverty first hand,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO, who traveled with members of the Boca committee. “To see it, smell it and taste it. Then they know what they are raising money for, and how to do it – to help one family at a time.”
Travelers included Ronda Gluck, Rene Mahfood, Becky Carlsson, Julie Mahfood, Allison Venditti, Traci Wilson, and Kara Seelye.
Additional committee members include Cathy & Abdol Moabery (Event Co-Chairpersons), David Gluck (Event Co-Chairperson), Francis Mahfood (Honorary Chairperson), Ronda Ellis Ged, Michele Greene, Pamela Matsil,
Natasha Singh, and Patricia Wallace.
“Since Haiti’s Jan. 12 earthquake, the need for safe, permanent housing remains tremendous, said Mahfood. “Hundreds of thousands of displaced Haitians have been forced to live under tarps and tents for almost two years. As a result of these inhumane living conditions, the spread of disease and waterborne illnesses have thrived, causing even more devastation.”
Media master of ceremonies, Calvin Hughes, an Emmy Award-winning newscaster for WPLG-TV ABC Local 10 News, will share stories from his journeys to Haiti at the event. For years he has reported how nonprofits such as Food For The Poor continue to strive to improve lives and living conditions throughout the country.
For additional information regarding the Building Hope Gala, benefactor levels, and tickets, available at $225 per person, please call 1-888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/boca.
The Building Hope Gala committee has organized a pre-event on Dec. 15, in time for the holiday season. Join the committee for champagne and hors d’oeuvres at Gregory’s Fine Jewelry in Delray Beach’s The Addison Shops to purchase a dazzling piece of jewelry for your loved ones. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the charity’s gala.
Event sponsors include Gregory’s Fine Jewelry, TD Bank, N.A., Regal Home Health, Haiti Shipping Lines, Seaboard Marine Ltd., Dennis Charley & Associates, American Nicaraguan Foundation, Mailing Service of Pittsburg, and Jox Sox.
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
“It was a very sad day, but a great experience – a life adjusting experience,” said Rene Mahfood, the event’s Honorary Chairperson after her first day in Haiti. “What we saw today puts everything in perspective. You think about how expensive life is back home and all the things you can’t afford. Then you realize that all those material things don’t matter. None of it matters. All that matters is having a roof over your head, being able to clothe your children and having food to eat.”The gala will be Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 at The Polo Club of Boca Raton. Attendees will be invited to create a legacy by pledging to build critically needed houses during the charity’s live house-rally. Last year’s energized crowd pledged to construct a record 60 housing units – to restore hope and to shelter the destitute in the Caribbean and Latin America. This year more than 350 caring South Florida residents are expected to attend.
“We’re blessed,” said Ronda Gluck, Event Co-Chairperson, after she visited a family in Cité Soleil who will soon receive a new Food For The Poor house. “We have no idea the luxuries we live in, compared to this house. It’s nothing. I feel terrible. These families are blessed to be receiving a home.”
“I don’t believe these people live in the same world that I do – only a two hour plane ride away,” said Kara Seelye, an event committee member. “It’s disturbing. You just don’t get it when you’re a Boca housewife. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. The only way we can build more houses for people is by sharing what we’ve seen. More people need to come and see it for themselves.”
Proceeds from this year’s Building Hope Gala will fund the construction of homes in Haiti. According to the United Nations’ shelter committee the catastrophic 2010 earthquake initially left 1.3 million people in Haiti homeless. Today approximately 600,000 are still without shelter. More than 2,400 two-room permanent homes have been built by Food For The Poor in Haiti since the January 2010 earthquake.
“It’s important for these people to experience poverty first hand,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO, who traveled with members of the Boca committee. “To see it, smell it and taste it. Then they know what they are raising money for, and how to do it – to help one family at a time.”
Travelers included Ronda Gluck, Rene Mahfood, Becky Carlsson, Julie Mahfood, Allison Venditti, Traci Wilson, and Kara Seelye.
Additional committee members include Cathy & Abdol Moabery (Event Co-Chairpersons), David Gluck (Event Co-Chairperson), Francis Mahfood (Honorary Chairperson), Ronda Ellis Ged, Michele Greene, Pamela Matsil,
Natasha Singh, and Patricia Wallace.
“Since Haiti’s Jan. 12 earthquake, the need for safe, permanent housing remains tremendous, said Mahfood. “Hundreds of thousands of displaced Haitians have been forced to live under tarps and tents for almost two years. As a result of these inhumane living conditions, the spread of disease and waterborne illnesses have thrived, causing even more devastation.”
Media master of ceremonies, Calvin Hughes, an Emmy Award-winning newscaster for WPLG-TV ABC Local 10 News, will share stories from his journeys to Haiti at the event. For years he has reported how nonprofits such as Food For The Poor continue to strive to improve lives and living conditions throughout the country.
For additional information regarding the Building Hope Gala, benefactor levels, and tickets, available at $225 per person, please call 1-888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/boca.
The Building Hope Gala committee has organized a pre-event on Dec. 15, in time for the holiday season. Join the committee for champagne and hors d’oeuvres at Gregory’s Fine Jewelry in Delray Beach’s The Addison Shops to purchase a dazzling piece of jewelry for your loved ones. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the charity’s gala.
Event sponsors include Gregory’s Fine Jewelry, TD Bank, N.A., Regal Home Health, Haiti Shipping Lines, Seaboard Marine Ltd., Dennis Charley & Associates, American Nicaraguan Foundation, Mailing Service of Pittsburg, and Jox Sox.
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
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