Wisconsin helping Haiti one child, one family at a time

Thanks to Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. and caring volunteers, more than 250,000 meals are ready to be shipped to Haiti to feed children in Food For The Poor’s feeding programs. Hundreds of volunteers filled the Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the State Fair Park in Milwaukee, for the four-day event in October to pack 18 pallets of nutritious food.

“The packers came from all walks of life, from the very young to the elderly. We had classrooms of kids and more than 60 kids from a local Islamic high school. We even had a church group bring 80 children from an after-school program,” said Karl Ralian, Founder and President of Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. “Most interesting of all, we had 15 people from a wedding party who came to pack food. I was completely blown away by this heartwarming testimonial to people's goodness.”

Each participant’s $20 fee was used to purchase dehydrated foods for the meal packs, which will provide nutritious food without the fear of spoiling and will prevent waterborne illness because boiling water is needed to rehydrate the meals.

In addition to the 250,000 meals, Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. has committed to building a village in Haiti through Food For The Poor’s “Next Step Challenge” campaign. The village will be constructed in Grand Boulage, which is nestled in the mountains between the Center and West Departments of Haiti, and is approximately an hour and a half drive from Port-au-Prince. More than 30,000 people live in this farming community.

After the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, the situation in Grand Boulage quickly worsened. Many were forced to abandon what was left of their homes to pitch tents in the mountains. Nearly two years later, many of Grand Boulage’s residents are still sleeping unprotected in the open. The closest water source is located in a town called Despinos, some five miles away from where many in the community call home.

Because of the dire need in Grand Boulage, Food For The Poor and Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. are committed to providing the residents there with much-needed housing. You can learn how to create your own fundraising page for this project or make secure online donations at www.FoodForThePoor.org/challenge.

“We want to thank all who are involved in this event, for keeping the needs of the people in Haiti in mind and for helping us to feed the hungry, especially the children,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “Because of all your hard work, soon thousands in the community of Grand Boulage will have sturdy houses, fruit trees, and farm animals. This will provide the people with the greatest of opportunities to become a self-sustaining community.”

To learn more about future food packing events please click on WorldwideHungerRelief.org for complete details.

Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

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

Thousands of hands to pack one million meals for Haiti

A taste of the tropics is taking root in the nation’s heartland. Wisconsin, famous for its cheese and its sports teams, soon will celebrate all things Haitian. Haiti’s food, artistry and music are the supporting cast in Milwaukee’s grand production of a four-day food packing event with Food For The Poor and Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc.

Thousands of volunteers are expected to fill the Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the State Fair Park, to pack more than one million meals, which will be shipped to Haiti to feed thousands of the Caribbean nation’s children. At the same time, the volunteers will raise funds to build a village in Port-au-Prince.

“To help Haiti become self-sustaining, we have to get the people out of the tent cities and into sturdy housing. Thousands have lost family members along with their worldly possessions, and are relying heavily on the kindness of strangers nearly two years after the 2010 earthquake,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “We are moved by the tremendous generosity the people of Milwaukee are displaying to help this organization feed the most vulnerable in Haiti. Thank you.”

Food For The Poor began its work in Haiti in 1986. In addition to the organization’s feeding center, tractor trailer-loads of food (such as rice, beans, flour, powdered milk and oil) are distributed to a variety of organizations throughout the country. Schools, orphanages and churches depend on these items to carry out feeding programs and for distribution to local families.

Each participant in the food packing event will pay a $20 fee, which will be used to purchase the dehydrated foods for the one million meals. The meals will provide nutritious food without the fear of spoiling. The risk of waterborne illnesses is eliminated because boiling water is needed to rehydrate the meals.

Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that depends on its volunteers. The ingredients, packaging equipment, and packaging materials are stored in a warehouse in Waukesha, which is owned by the organization’s founder and president, Karl Ralian.

The organization also provides training to groups that will be conducting food packing, trucking services to deliver the ingredients, and trucking services to pick up the meal kits for distribution.

“We at Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. provide the opportunity for people to pack food for malnourished and starving children wherever there is a need. While our volunteers work to feed hungry children they also feed their own spirits and reap the benefits that come from helping others,” said Karl Ralian. “In addition to providing food, we also want to provide decent housing and a safe environment for these children to grow and prosper. Building an entire village in Haiti is an amazing project that we hope will capture the minds of the good people of the Milwaukee area.”

Volunteers in the “Next Step Challenge” campaign will be encouraged to form fundraising teams for the village, and through that collaborative effort, will raise the funds needed for the construction of a new village.

EVENT INFORMATION:

WHAT: Food Packing Event

WHEN: October 13-16, 2011

Packing Shifts:
• Thurs., 6-7:30 p.m., 7:30-9 p.m.
• Fri., 6-7:30 p.m., 7:30-9 p.m.
• Sat., 9-10:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-12, 12-1:30 p.m., 1:30-3 p.m., 3-4:40 p.m.
• Sun., 10:30 a.m.-12, 12-1:30 p.m., 1:30- 3 p.m.

WHERE: Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the State Fair Grounds in Milwaukee

For registration information please click on WorldwideHungerRelief.org for complete details for individual and group participation.

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