Bankers Healthcare Group Donates Furniture

Donated Office Furniture to Serve New Purpose in Jamaica

	Bankers Healthcare Group donated more than 150 pieces of office furniture, including several large filing cabinets and drawers to Food For The Poor. The donated items will be shipped to Jamaica and reused in schools and orphanages supported by the relief and development organization.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2015) – More than 150 pieces of office furniture that once filled the South Florida corporate headquarters of Bankers Healthcare Group soon will be heading to Jamaica. BHG, a provider of financing solutions for healthcare professionals, relocated from Southwest Ranches to Davie, Fla., and decided to donate their extra furnishings to Food For The Poor.

“Through Food for the Poor, we were able to take our seemingly everyday items and pass them on to communities that could really benefit from them,” said Bob Castro, president and co-founder of Bankers Healthcare Group. “BHG is truly grateful for the opportunity to support Food for the Poor and contribute to their global impact. We hope Jamaican schools and orphanages will be able to get good use out of this furniture.”

For more than three decades, Food For The Poor has been a dedicated servant of the poor, supplying the basic needs of housing, food, and water to the people in 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. The organization relies on the gift-in-kind donations it receives from corporations, businesses and individuals to provide essential goods like school furniture, medical equipment, and medicines.

“Once these items are delivered to our warehouse, they are sorted and shipped to where the need is greatest as quickly as possible,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “The office furniture we received from Bankers Healthcare Group is a perfect example of how something that was once used in one capacity can be reused to serve a new purpose.”

The furnishings donated by BHG will be reused in schools and orphanages supported by the charity. 

Since 2001, Bankers Healthcare Group has been committed to providing financing solutions for healthcare professionals, allowing them to remain focused on delivering high quality care. BHG has provided more than $2 billion in funding to thousands of customers nationwide. Inc. has recognized the company nine times for growth and job creation. For additional information, please visit www.bhg-inc.com or follow Bankers Healthcare Group on Twitter.

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.

Rice for Haiti

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Donates Rice to Food For The Poor

	At Food For The Poor's feeding center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 15,000 life-saving meals a day are provided to hungry families six days a week. The charity also distributes food to schools and other partner organizations for feeding programs throughout Haiti.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 19, 2014) – Forty trailer loads of rice are en route to Haiti from the ports of Taipei, thanks to the kindness of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This first shipment is part of 2,400 metric tons of rice that will be received and distributed in three installments by Food For The Poor.

Food For The Poor and Taiwan have partnered since 2005 to positively impact the lives of the poor. The three separate shipments of 800 metric tons of rice each translates into more than 21 million generous servings of rice for the hungry. Taiwan’s rice donations are critical, as food costs continue to rise globally due to floods, droughts, and crop failures. Taiwan's new ambassador to Haiti, Tsai-Chiu “Peter” Hwang, was instrumental in securing the donation of rice on behalf of Food For The Poor.

“Taiwan has been a tremendous partner, consistently providing life-saving food for hundreds of thousands people in Haiti for many years,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “We are so very thankful to receive this bountiful blessing on behalf of the poor that we serve. The life-saving food will nurture children and their families, as they continue to rebuild their country.”

Last year, Philip T.Y. Wang replaced Ray Mou as Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami.

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.

#GivingTuesday

COCONUT Creek, Fla., (Nov. 25, 2013) – We have a day for giving thanks, why not a day for giving back? For the second year, Food For The Poor has joined #GivingTuesday, an initiative to harness the collective power of a unique blend of partners – charities, families, businesses and individuals – to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season.

Coinciding with Thanksgiving, and the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities. It will also inspire many to give back in better and smarter ways to the charities and causes they support, and help create a better world.

Taking place Dec. 3, 2013, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday will use the power of social media to create a national movement around the holidays, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days synonymous with holiday shopping.

“Food For The Poor is extremely honored be a part of #GivingTuesday. It is quickly becoming a global movement, which celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “It’s great to know that so many nonprofits, within the United States and internationally, are working together to make life better for as many people as possible.”

In 2012, more than 50 million people worldwide spread the word about #GivingTuesday resulting in a milestone trending on Twitter. The collective efforts of partners, donors and advocates also helped to fuel a marked increase in charitable giving.

Visit www.foodforthepoor.org/givingtuesday to support Food For The Poor’s #GivingTuesday initiative. You can also view the charity’s catalog video for creative ideas that will continue to change lives long after the holiday season has ended. For $10, you can give the gift of a fruit tree, or you can choose to give farm animals such as chickens, pigs, goats, donkeys and cows, which can provide an income and a source of nutrition for destitute families.

For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website www.givingtuesday.org, Facebook page www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday or follow the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.

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 to help restock Salvation Army’s shelves

Within days of reading about The Salvation Army’s bare cupboards in The Sun-Sentinel, the South Florida-based international relief and development organization Food For The Poor mobilized to help restock the shelter’s Fort Lauderdale pantry.

“With the continuing poor economic environment, the number of requests for support continues to grow,” said Kate Hietapelto, Assistant Director of Development at The Salvation Army in Fort Lauderdale. “We have been blessed to receive several donations from many people in the community and we are very happy to see how people come together and lift each other up in a time of need. We were in a desperate need of food to stock our shelves and the food came.”

Hietapelto was present when boxes filled with canned tuna, vienna sausage, Chef Boyardee and jars of peanut butter were delivered by representatives of the nonprofit Food For The Poor to The Salvation Army’s Fort Lauderdale office on Broward Blvd.

“When we heard about The Salvation Army’s empty pantries we knew it was important to give back to our local community,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “Thanks to the generosity of Food For The Poor’s staff we were able to step forward and offer some relief.”

Each week the Salvation Army serves approximately 100 families and individuals who are in need of assistance.

“On behalf of the friends, family, staff, clients, donors and volunteers at The Salvation Army, we would like to thank Food For The Poor for their generous donation to our food pantry, said Hietapelto.

Due to the community’s positive response to The Salvation Army’s plea for food, on Thursday families will be able to receive the usual three or four bags of groceries.

“My family and I wanted to donate food to help meet The Salvation Army’s growing needs,” said Troy Delisser, Food For The Poor’s Senior Purchasing Agent.

Delisser’s donation included frozen fish, and wild game from North Fla. that included duck, geese, quail and pheasant.

Sally Gress, Director of Development for The Salvation Army, said if the meat and fish are wrapped in meal size portions they would be able to distribute it to those in need.

In addition to Food For The Poor’s international mission, the organization also supports nonprofits that serve South Florida’s neediest. In August, Food For The Poor also donated 24 pallets of supplies such as, corn, rice, shoes, bottled water and diapers to New Hope Charities in Pahokee, Fla.

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

California woman answers call to save young girl’s vision

Tammy Hamilton knows what a blessing it is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need. After praying to God for guidance, Hamilton answered a call from the nonprofit Food For The Poor to save a young girl’s eyesight and to end her suffering.

“It was all about God,” said Hamilton, who was thankful God had her path in Trabuco Canyon, California, cross with Vanessa Lewis, 16, from St. Ann, Jamaica.

In excruciating pain and at risk of losing eyesight in her right eye, Vanessa said she prayed to God before she made the heart wrenching decision to have her left eye removed. Strengthened by her faith and family in Jamaica, Vanessa and her mother traveled to the United States for a second surgery at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami on July 30.

“The doctors in Jamaica could not find a cure so I had to go overseas,” said Vanessa who has endured years of bullying and taunting as a result of her eye problems. “Sometimes I feel like to give up...”

Mother and daughter have overcome many challenges, including traveling to the United States each year since 2002, with the exception of two years when they just could not afford it. Eight years ago, Vanessa was diagnosed with tractional retinal detachment at Bascom Palmer, after her first eye surgery was not successful. As a result, she permanently lost vision in her left eye.

During the charity’s Thankful Thursday prayer service on Sept. 6, a grateful and emotional Vanessa stood in front of the crowded room to share her testimonial.

“I am finally pain free,” said Vanessa, who received a standing ovation from Food For The Poor staff members.

Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO, challenged Vanessa to pursue her dream and become a doctor.

“The hardships we face provide us with opportunities to learn how we can share our talents to benefit others,” said Mahfood, as he embraced Vanessa and congratulated her for overcoming years of adversity. 

“God has done so much for me,” said Vanessa. “God, Himself would have to explain it to you. Thank you for helping to make my tomorrow a better tomorrow and my future a pain free future.”

Thanks to the generosity of Food For The Poor’s donor Hamilton who covered the cost of Vanessa’s recent eye surgery, Vanessa will receive her custom-made, artificial eye on Sept. 25.

“I always say I am not lucky, I am blessed,” said Vanessa. “Thank you all, God bless you always.”

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. 

To learn more, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org.

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

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

Food For The Poor thanks RENU for helping to renew hope

A South Florida cosmetic enhancement center, RENU Medical Aesthetics, has donated a percentage of its sales to help the poor through the international relief agency Food For The Poor. The donation will be used to serve the poor wherever the need is greatest within the 17 countries receiving aid from the agency.

“As Food For The Poor celebrates 30 years of saving and transforming lives throughout the Caribbean and  Latin America, we have set the goal in 2012 to build 12,000 homes, dig 1,200 water wells, and ship 1,200 containers of food to help the destitute,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “It is donations such as one we received from RENU Medical Aesthetics that are making this optimistic challenge in 2012 possible, and we are truly grateful for their generosity.”  

Based in Stuart, RENU’s generosity doesn’t end there. The Medical Aesthetics associates have once again decided to pledge a percentage of its sales. This time they want to raise enough funds to build a two-room home for a family in Haiti through Food For The Poor.

To help RENU Medical Aesthetics meet their goal in 2012, click www.FoodForThePoor.org/renu to make a safe and secure online donation.

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

Honor Mom, restore other women’s power to dream

In developing countries, mothers often are the sole providers for their families and earn less than $2 a day. If there is no work, they sometimes are forced to scavenge local garbage dumps alongside their children for food or anything recyclable. Food, clean water, shelter, medical care and education are all out of reach for these destitute women.

Elva Brady, left, a Food For The Poor donor

“My heart goes out to mothers who raise children as a single parent,” said Elva Brady, a Food For The Poor donor who is committed to funding development projects for women. “My mother was one of these women.”

This Mother’s Day, caring donors can celebrate the lives of their mothers and improve the lives of others in developing countries. Gifts that provide hope for the future can be found at foodforthepoor.org/catalog.

“Food For The Poor has given me an avenue to honor my mother by helping women in Guatemala,” said Brady. “These women can find their value and empowerment through education in the women development centers and by organizing the chicken farms. My hope is to at least help one mother remove herself from a life scavenging through local garbage dumps, to an improved life with hope for a brighter future for herself and her children.”

Brady has traveled to Guatemala with Food For The Poor representatives and met many Food For The Poor beneficiaries, including Aurelia Pac. 

“When I saw the water for the first time, I was crying tears of joy… it is a miracle,” said Pac, a mother and beneficiary of a Food For The Poor water project in Guatemala. This gift of clean, safe drinking water means Pac and other women and children in the village no longer have to trek for miles to fetch water for their family’s daily needs. Pac now earns a living washing clothes for others.

Food For The Poor development projects for women include vocational training courses in baking and sewing, group aquaculture and animal husbandry projects, access to clean water and permanent housing, and shelter and food for expecting mothers.

“Every day, millions of children are forced to go hungry, thousands suffer from severe malnourishment, and their mothers are helpless to save them,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “When children cry out in pain, it breaks the parents’ hearts because they do not have food, clean drinking water and medicines to give their children – in some cases, to save their lives.”

Even though Mother’s Day is only once a year, you can motivate the women at your next luncheon, retreat or monthly meeting to take action by inviting a Food For The Poor speaker. For additional information about Food For The Poor’s development projects for women, please contact Paul Kane by calling 1-877-654-2960, ext. 6641 or by emailing PaulK@foodforthepoor.com.

All gifts are tax-deductible. To support Food For The Poor’s development projects for women, checks payable to Food For The Poor can be mailed to 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. Please include reference number “SC# 82722” to ensure your donation is accurately 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 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
954-427-2222 x 6614
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com

Teddy bears headed to Haiti, Jamaica, carry legacy of love

A South Florida man is carrying on his late wife’s legacy with his gift of 1,500 teddy bears to the international relief and development agency Food For The Poor. The charity will ship the bears to children living in extreme poverty in Haiti and Jamaica.

In February, when Jerry Gamble lost his wife, Jean, to heart failure, he was grief-stricken after 53 years of marriage. He knew that her bear collection was important to her, so he turned his grief to action to find good homes for the bears she sometimes called her children. He researched different groups and decided to give most of them to Food For The Poor to help brighten the lives of children living in destitute conditions.

As he sorted through the bears to bag and box them up for the children, he reminisced about the Saturday garage sale trips with his wife that ultimately resulted in thousands of bears.

“We always went together to the garage sales. She knew bears, I didn’t,” Gamble said. “It started when she saw two little bears lying in a driveway, waiting for the trash pick-up. I don’t know when her brain kicked in and she decided to collect them. It started to get a little crazy.”

Gamble built special wooden risers for his wife’s “bear room” and the collection continued to grow as her children made gifts of bears to her, and she continued to find and refurbish bears that had fallen onto hard times. The result of their 15 years of bear rescue will be a big load of love to children who have never had their own toy, or known the comfort of a plush bear in their arms as they fall asleep.

“Mr. Gamble has no idea what a blessing of love these teddy bears will be for these children who have so little, and who are so grateful to know that someone cares,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “He might never meet these children, yet they will feel the love he has for them.”

Food For The Poor supports more than 3,800 children in 95 orphanages through its Angels of Hope program. Many more children are helped through schools and feeding programs.

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
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6614
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com

Join SwipeGood today and your first donation will be doubled!

Give hunger a one-two punch with SwipeGood, a service that rounds up and donates the spare change from your credit card purchases to Food For The Poor! Sign-up by this Friday and SwipeGood will MATCH your first month's round ups, instantly DOUBLING the number of hungry children you'll feed.

On average, SwipeGood users round up $18 in spare change each month. So, if you sign up by June 24, SwipeGood will match your $18 and send $36 to Food For The Poor feeding programs -- enough to feed a hungry child for an ENTIRE YEAR!

Here's how it works:

1. Go to http://www.foodforthepoor.org/swipegoodmatch
2. Click the orange "Get Started" button
3. Create an account or log-in with your Facebook account
4. Enter your credit or debit card information
5. Set a monthly donation limit if you want
6. Start shopping and incorporate giving into your everyday life!

Please join SwipeGood today and help us defeat hunger by changing lives every time you shop!

Only FIVE days left to make your donation count DOUBLE!

Thanks to a group of our generous donors, you now have the power to feed twice as many hungry children, to provide the food they so desperately need to survive.

Send your gift before this Sunday -- Easter -- and it will be matched, dollar-for-dollar. To help, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org/eastergift.

Haitian Marie Geleen and her baby, Nelanda, 1, are pictured here. They live in an area that grows rice, but they can’t find any buyers for their rice, so there is no money for fruits, vegetables, and protein. Last year’s rice crop was spoiled by floods, so there is even less food than normal. Like thousands of other Haitian children, the young Gelens are suffering from malnutrition, slowly starving to death.

Hunger in Haiti is threatening innocent children’s chances for survival. World food prices have hit a record high and will likely not fall soon. This is devastating news for poor families struggling to recover from last year’s catastrophic earthquake, the recent cholera outbreak, and flooding. Vulnerable and anguished, they are forced to watch their children starve.

You can provide lifesaving food to starving children today and provide nutrition to children who have nothing. Please visit www.foodforthepoor.org/eastergift today to help.

Thank you for your continued support!

Your Easter gift can help TWICE as many children today!

This Easter, a group of generous donors has agreed to match, dollar-for-dollar (up to $500,000), donations received before April 24th. If you send your gift before Easter Sunday, it will be doubled to feed twice as many hungry children.

Meet the Gelen family of Haiti. Can you see that the baby is malnourished and the boy is too thin for his age? They live in an area that grows rice, but they can't find any buyers for their rice, so there is no money for fruits, vegetables, and protein. Last year's rice crop was spoiled by floods, so there is even less food than normal. Like thousands of other Haitian children, the young Gelens are suffering from malnutrition, slowly starving to death.

Will these children survive past Easter? Their fate may be decided by those who choose to respond to this call -- thank you for choosing life.

You can provide lifesaving food to starving children today and provide nutrition to children who have nothing.

Please, send your Easter gift today by visiting www.foodforthepoor.org/eastergift.

Starving children are depending on your compassion.

Swipe Your Credit Card; Get a Donation in Your Name

Helping Food For The Poor serve the destitute has never been easier, and now a two-day campaign in March with SwipeGood will provide a bigger boost to charitable giving.

On March 2 and 3, anyone who signs up their credit card for a SwipeGood donation to Food For The Poor will have a $10 donation made by SwipeGood to the charity. Food For The Poor has teamed up with SwipeGood, a company that helps nonprofit organizations make fundraising more efficient for those who are not into texting or online giving.

"Food For The Poor partnered with SwipeGood with the goal of increasing our help to the poorest of the poor by implementing new fundraising efforts. We believe this latest campaign will allow anyone who wants to help the charity to multiply their donation during this two-day period. We rely on the generosity of our donors, and we're grateful for the help they provide," said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

Here’s how it works: SwipeGood rounds up all of your credit card purchases to the nearest dollar on a monthly basis with your spare change going to the charity. You can also cap your monthly donations, so you‘re in complete control of the amount of money you donate each month.

Your spare change can go a long way to help a starving child. The average monthly donation of a SwipeGood user can empower Food For The Poor to feed a child for 6 months.

Please visit Food For The Poor's SwipeGood profile and sign up your card, round up your purchases, and donate the change to Food For The Poor. If you do this on March 2 or 3, even more lives will be saved.

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

Soft, Stuffed and Special...Teens Donate Thousands of Toys to Charity

Lions, tigers, and every imaginable creature ever turned into something soft and snuggly were collected by two South Florida teens on a mission to put smiles on the faces of children in Haiti who have lost so much.

“With everything that has happened in Haiti, it seems like the kids there don’t have much to smile about,” said Kristin Temple. “I didn’t want to ask people for money, so I thought slightly used stuffed animals would be a good idea.”

This idea of collecting the toys took root in the mind of the 16- year-old, she said, after watching the movie Toy Story 3, where the lead character, Andy, gives away his beloved toys. So two months ago, Temple got to work, and got permission to hold drives in Boca Raton at the Ascension Catholic Church where she worships, the Publix where she works, and at Cardinal Newman School in West Palm Beach where she’s a junior.

Temple’s 17- year-old classmate, Christopher Olowin, also played a vital part in this project. He turned it into a family affair when he enlisted the help of his younger sister, who attends All Saints Catholic School in Jupiter. Olowin says that group of preteens collected 668 stuffed animals toward the cause.

“I am sure the tent cities can be a scary place at night for the young children who live there. Kids should not be afraid to sleep at night, and I am hoping these stuffed toys will provide them with a feeling of some security,” said Olowin.

After the duo collected more than 3,400 stuffed animals, Temple contacted Food For The Poor and the charity was happy to accept these toys on behalf of the children of Haiti.

“It’s amazing what young people can do when they really set their mind to it,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “The need in Haiti is so great on so many levels, and something as simple as a stuffed toy can do wonders to lift the spirits of that nation’s youngest victims.”

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
Public Relations
(954) 427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com

Support Food For The Poor with every credit card swipe you make!

Good news! Food For The Poor is now supported by SwipeGood, a service that allows you to automatically round up all your credit or debit card transactions to the nearest dollar, donating your spare change to help the poorest of the poor.

When you're a starving child, spare change goes a long way. Eighteen dollars, the average monthly donation of a SwipeGood user, is enough to feed a child for 6 months. With SwipeGood you change lives every time you shop!

Please sign up today, it only takes a few minutes:

1. Go to Food For The Poor's SwipeGood profile.
2. Create an account or log-in with your Facebook account
3. Select the card you would like to have purchases rounded up on
4. Set a monthly donation limit if you want

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.

Through Dec. 31, gifts for feeding Haiti’s children are being doubled

Can you imagine having to tell your children that "today is not your turn to eat?"

While visiting earthquake-devastated Haiti earlier this year, Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma witnessed one child eating a handful of rice while his older brother merely watched. "Today is not my turn to eat," the boy told Aloma.

Haiti is home to entire families that have not eaten for days. With these families in mind, please send us your greatest gift possible. Gifts made by Friday, December 31, are tax-deductible and will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $250,000. Time is running out to save lives.

Please visit www.foodforthepoor.org/yearendfoodgift to give these children a gift -- the gift of food.