Grant Helps 72K Schoolchildren

Food For The Poor Helps 72,000 Nicaraguan Schoolchildren

	The McGovern-Dole Food for Education grant was used to improve the lives of 72,000 school-age children, including providing hot meals in 774 schools in some of the most rural regions of Nicaragua.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Dec. 16, 2014) – Life for nearly 72,000 children in some of the most rural regions of Nicaragua has been greatly improved, thanks to a McGovern-Dole Food for Education grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The grant was awarded to Food For The Poor to cover a three-year span from the fall of 2011 to the fall of 2014.

During the three-year period, more than 4,500 metric tons of food have been distributed to the most impoverished communities of the Central American country. The majority of the recipients were school-age children who benefited from the feeding programs in 774 schools, located primarily in Managua, Nueva Segovia and Madriz. The students received a morning snack and a hot meal for lunch each day. Expectant and nursing mothers also benefited from the feeding programs within their communities.

“Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere. This grant has allowed Food For The Poor to provide additional rice, beans, oil, and cereal to thousands of schoolchildren. For many of these students, their only meal of the day is the food they receive while at school, which is why their lunches need to be substantial and nutritious,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “The grant from the USDA has been a blessing. It also has allowed Food For The Poor to provide the participating schools with much-needed upgrades, which will serve students in those communities for many years to come.”

Health and hygiene were also key components of the grant. The installation of 100 latrines and 20 hand washing stations and sinks, along with the repair of 30 school kitchens, have reduced the nutritional deficit in schoolchildren and greatly improved sanitary conditions. School gardens and multi-disciplinary training for parents and teachers were also established, and 71 classrooms received much needed repairs, which have helped to improve the academic benefits of the students.

Food For The Poor has been working in Nicaragua since 1998, partnering with the American Nicaraguan Foundation (ANF) and the Fabretto Children’s Foundation.

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.

All-Nighter Empowers Students, Unites Campuses, Fights Hunger

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Oct. 18, 2012) – In South Florida, students at Broward College (BC), Florida International University (FIU) and the University of Miami (UM) are organizing campus events to commemorate World Food Day in partnership with the international relief and development organization Food For The Poor.

“I am eager to work with this organization to help raise funds for Guatemala through All-Nighters for the Poor,” said Javonia Robinson, a freshman majoring in public relations at BC’s South Campus. “No matter how different our geographic regions or cultures, we all affect one another in a major way.”

On Thursday, Oct. 25, BC South Campus will host A Taste of Guatemala from noon to 2 p.m. for $5 a plate. At 12:45 p.m., history professors Edward Cornejo and Rudy Jean-Bart will lead a discussion on the historical and current economic and political issues in Guatemala. Participating groups include ENC1102, ASPIRA and Phi Theta Kappa. Plan to enjoy traditional Guatemalan dishes and a slice of flan with your friends in the Southern Breezes Café in Building #68 at 7200 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, Fla.

FIU’s Student Alumni Association is organizing All-Nighter events to take place Friday, Nov. 9, at the Biscayne Bay Campus in North Miami and Modesto A. Maidique Campus in western Miami-Dade County. That same night BC North Campus’ Caribbean Student Association (CSA) will host their All-Nighter. UM’s CSA and Butler Center for Volunteer Services and Leadership Development will schedule the campus’ All-Nighter in either November or December.

Students are encouraged to promote these campus events via social networking sites, and to register online at www.AllNighterForThePoor.org.
The goal of the All-Nighter program is to encourage students nationwide to host events on their campus to increase awareness about malnutrition and to fund self-sustaining solutions to poverty – such as tilapia ponds and animal husbandry projects – to alleviate hunger in developing countries.

“Throughout the world there are people that are not as fortunate as we are,” said Pratima Ramdeo, BC North’s CSA President. “CSA wants to give these families in Guatemala the privilege of not having to worry about where they'll get food to feed their kids or even themselves.” 
Funds raised during the 2012 All-Nighter for the Poor will provide destitute families in Guatemala Everything for Families with Nothing, including:
• Safe and secure homes with sanitation
• Rice and beans for one full year
• School supplies for two children per household (including books and uniforms)
• Clothing and shoes
• A self-sustainable project for a source of income and nutrition.

The campus that raises the most funds will have a street in the new Food For The Poor village named in its honor.

Are you ready to change the world? To learn more, visit www.AllNighterForThePoor.org. For more information, please call 1-877-654-2960, ext. 6069 or email moniques@foodforthepoor.com.
Funds from past events have gone to life-saving projects, such as:

• All-Nighter I (2009):   Funded the Harvesting Hope For Haiti Tilapia Farm in Delogner, Haiti. It is a four-pond tilapia farm, with each pond accommodating up to 7,000 fish.
• All-Nighter II (2010):  Funded the Renewing Hope Tilapia Farm in Fond Des Blanc, Haiti. This four-pond tilapia farm has a submersible pump powered by solar panels.
• All-Nighter II (2010):  Funded the Renewing Hope II Tilapia Farm in Cuperlier, Petite Goave, Haiti.
• All-Nighter III (2011): Funded a pangasius farm in Haiti.

“The farm in Delogner alone can provide about 1,800 pounds of fish every four months,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “This is vital protein in a country that so desperately needs nutritious food. In addition, the farm provides work for villagers who cultivate and harvest the tilapia, and then use the fish to barter for necessary goods.”

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.

Lynn University students rough it, paying tribute to friends’ legacies and the poor

For the fourth consecutive year, members of Lynn University’s student organization Students For The Poor will construct a tent city on campus to call attention to the desperate living conditions of those who remain homeless in Haiti, on Thursday, April 5, in Perper Plaza, near the center of campus.

Students will pitch tents and build makeshift structures using cardboard, tarps and other scrap materials. Each structure will be judged for creativity, and a prize will be awarded for the best design. Participants may sleep in their hut overnight on April 5 in order to experience what it is like to live in such conditions. Members of other campus organizations to participate include the Black Student Union (BSU), Greek Life, Student Access Program, and additional Lynn students.

“We are hoping that the tent city will give the Lynn Community insight on what it looks and feels like to live in poverty,” said Lindsay Doran, Lynn’s Students For The Poor president.

Several of the club members have traveled to Haiti and/ or Jamaica with the South Florida-based nonprofit Food For The Poor. The on campus activity serves as a special remembrance to honor the students and faculty who traveled on Lynn University’s 2010 J-Term Journey of Hope courses with Food For The Poor. One of the groups arrived a day before the catastrophic earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti, instantly claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. Doran is one of the Haiti Journey of Hope survivors.

Considering the impact the Haiti earthquake had on the Lynn University campus, and the recent dedication of Lynn University’s Remembrance Plaza, the Students For The Poor club is prepared to answer questions from their campus community about destitute living conditions in Haiti and Jamaica.

“With the recent dedication of the Remembrance Plaza that memorializes the two professors and four students we lost in the Haiti earthquake two years ago, Students For The Poor thought this was a great way to continue the compassion to help those in Haiti like Dr. Richard Bruno, Dr. Patrick Hartwick, Britney Gengel, Courtney Hayes, Christine Gianacaci, and Stephanie Crispinelli set out to do,” said Doran. “Our group believes it is appropriate to continue their mission of helping the people of Haiti by providing aid to those who continue to suffer from the result of such a catastrophic natural disaster.”

Two years after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, some of the Lynn University survivors and friends and families of those who died returned to Haiti. They completed the mission that their loved ones began and inaugurated The Journey of Hope Memorial Village, built by Food For The Poor to celebrate the lives, love and sacrifice of the Lynn University students and faculty, on the two-year anniversary of one of the most devastating earthquakes in the Caribbean nation’s history. Many of the 42 families in The Journey of Hope Memorial Village in Croix-des-Bouquets are earthquake survivors from Cité Soleíl.

For $3,200, Food For The Poor can build a housing unit with sanitation to replace a crumbling shack that leaks when it rains. Since January 2010, Food For The Poor has constructed more than 2,700 two-room homes in Haiti, complete with concrete foundations, locking doors, windows, and a zinc roof with hurricane straps.

To support their effort, make checks out to Food For The Poor and include a special reference number “SC# 64619” so the money can be attributed to Lynn University’s Students For The Poor campaign.

You can learn more about Food For The Poor’s 2012 mission trips by e-mailing missions@foodforthepoor.com. You can also involve your school in Food For The Poor’s mission by calling 1-877-654-2960, ext. 6641 or e-mailing churchschool@foodforthepoor.org.

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

Student reporters from Saint Andrew’s Middle School tour Food For The Poor

As field reporters and community service volunteers, 19 students from Saint Andrew’s Middle School held a “mud cookie” from Haiti and learned what it means to be destitute in a developing country while touring Food For The Poor’s headquarters in Coconut Creek, Fla. on March 2. Their mission was to bring awareness about the agency and the wider international community it serves to their peers on the Boca Raton campus.

As an introduction to Food For The Poor, the group was shown a video documenting the charity’s 30 years of service to the destitute. The ministry, through its dedicated donors, has built more than 77,000 homes, sent more than 60,000 containers filled with essential goods to the 17 countries it serves, and has delivered more than $9 billion in aid since its inception. Optimistic about the challenges that lay ahead, Food For The Poor shared its goal for 2012 to build 12,000 homes, dig 1,200 water wells, and ship 1,200 containers of food to help the destitute.

During the group’s orientation, they heard about the harsh realities of life in developing countries and firsthand accounts from the South Florida-based charity’s President/CEO, Robin Mahfood. One of the photos shared with the group was of a young Nicaraguan girl. Mahfood explained how destitute families do not enjoy the luxury of access to water in their homes with the simple twist of a faucet. As part of their daily chores, little girls in developing countries often have to carry heavy water buckets on their heads for miles over rocky ground to gather water for the family to drink, cook and clean.

“Her chore of fetching water perpetuates poverty,” said Mahfood. “If you are not educated, it is hard to rise above a life of poverty.”

Through the installation of water wells in remote villages, and the implementation of school feeding programs, students from Saint Andrew’s learned how the charity is working to eradicate poverty – one person, one family at a time.

Michelle Blum, one of the Saint Andrew’s faculty members, said the idea of not having access to clean, safe water is hard for most people to imagine.

“Tonight, I ask all of you to tell your parents that you are a philanthropist,” said Paul Kane, Food For The Poor’s Manager of Church, School and Community Development. “To be a philanthropist means, to love human beings. We at Food For The Poor do all that we do because we love others.”

The orientation concluded with a tour of Food For The Poor’s facility and distribution center.

You can learn how to involve your school in Food For The Poor’s mission by calling 1-877-654-2960, ext. 6641 or emailing churchschool@foodforthepoor.com.

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

School campaign celebrates Jamaica’s golden anniversary

Jamaica, the Caribbean's third-largest island, will be celebrating 50 years of independence from British rule on Aug.6, 2012. To mark this golden anniversary, Food For The Poor is launching the “Jamaica 50 Campaign” to build 50 schools in 50 months. The initiative will work like this:

- In August of 2012, the first school will open, and then a new school will open each month for the next 50 months.
-Food For The Poor will replace a school that has been targeted by a community that’s been deemed as an unfit space for children to learn.

Music is often what comes to mind when speaking of Jamaica, but education has always been a seed deeply planted into the minds of the Jamaican people. The Caribbean nation has experienced its share of economic hardship – many parents cannot afford to pay school fees, buy books, school supplies or uniforms necessary to send their children to basic school. Many of the nation’s school buildings are dilapidated or in desperate need of repair.

“It is important for those who have decided to leave Jamaica to pursue their dreams in Canada or the United States to remember their homeland, the homeland of their parents, their grandparents,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “The best gift of all is the gift of knowledge, and those who are in a position to help can do so by providing the children of Jamaica with safe and inspiring places to learn.”

This is a monumental, but exciting commitment by Food For The Poor to build these schools for children ages 3 to 6 years old. The ministry is looking forward to working with its donors on making this project between Jamaica, the United States and Canada a lasting legacy for generations to come.

The basic schools or Early Childhood Institutes are the backbone of the educational system in Jamaica because it is where young children develop their character, and get the educational foundation needed to advance to primary school, which is equivalent to an elementary school in the United States.

Each basic school constructed will have an office, sick bay, kitchen, bathroom/sanitation, and one large classroom that can be subdivided into three learning spaces. There’s an average capacity of 40 students per school, but depending on the size of the structure, up to 100 students could be attending one school at a time. There’s typically one teacher and a teacher’s assistant in the smaller schools, and three or more in the larger schools.

Food For The Poor will share photos of each new school, along with a description of the school before it was replaced, its students, the teachers, the community and how the new school has affected that community. Supporting “Jamaica 50 Campaign” is an opportunity for Food For The Poor and our donors to celebrate the past, and the future of an independent Jamaica. To view additional photos of Jamaica schools rebuilt by Food For The Poor, please visit the "Jamaica 50 Campaign" Flickr photo album.

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 meals are heading to Haiti, thanks to Lynn University

More than 200 students, staff and volunteers packed Green Hall on the campus of Lynn University on the second anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. They were not there to mourn, but to participate in a food packing event to help feed families still recovering from the 2010 natural disaster.

The precious cargo – white rice, lentils, dried carrot, onion, tomato, celery, cabbage, bell pepper and a dash of Himalayan sea salt – was vacuum-sealed on the Boca Raton campus and packed into 120 boxes. Each box contains 48 bags of the dried ingredients, and each bag equals six meals or 288 meals per box, a total of 34,560 meals. All of the boxes were then signed with loving words of encouragement, loaded onto a truck and delivered to Food For The Poor’s warehouse in Coconut Creek.

“The students at Lynn University are so full of energy, we’re so grateful to them and to our donors with Feeding Children Everywhere for their gift, which will feed hundreds of families in Haiti,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “Higher food prices are challenging our ability to feed the number of hungry we need to reach, so we’re very grateful for this donation.”

This is the second year Lynn University has partnered with the Orlando-based food pack charity, and donated those meals to Food For The Poor. The critically needed food will be shipped to Haiti by the end of the month.

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

All-Nighter to “Teach A Man to Fish,” Not Cram For Exams

Are you ready to change the world?

Help break the generational chains of poverty in developing countries by offering the destitute self-sustainable solutions and skills training opportunities. Students on your campus can unite with others nationwide to commemorate World Food Day in partnership with the international relief and development organization Food For The Poor.

During the months of October and November students are encouraged to come together for one night to participate in Food For The Poor’s “All-Nighter for the Poor” on their campuses. The goal is to increase awareness about malnutrition and to fund self-sustainable solutions – such as tilapia ponds and animal husbandry projects – to alleviate hunger in developing countries.

Students at the University of Florida (UF) are gearing up to participate in Food For The Poor’s All-Nighter For The Poor. Approximately 50,000 students are enrolled at UF for the Fall 2010 semester, and organizers for “Gators for the Poor” are working to sign up as many students and faculty as possible.

“I’m so excited to make other UF students aware of Food For The Poor, an organization with which I just had the privilege of getting involved,” said Kayla Cochran, an English major from Deerfield Beach, Fla. “I pray this event strengthens unity within the campus and extends compassion to those outside.”

Last year, more than 35 colleges and universities countrywide made a commitment to make a positive, tangible difference in our world. In one night, they raised enough money to build a self-sustaining tilapia farm in Haiti’s Artibonite region.

The farm in Delonger, consists of four 5,000-square-foot ponds that can each accommodate approximately 7,000 fish. Local community members are trained in how to cultivate and harvest the tilapia, and in distribution methods for this highly marketable product. Continuous production of one tilapia pond can generate 1,800 pounds of fish every four months. Portions of each harvest are donated to local feeding centers and orphanages. Video of the four tilapia ponds is available on YouTube.

Miami Dade College (MDC) was last year’s top fundraising team. The initiative to fight hunger and poverty spurred more than 600 MDC students to participate in Food For The Poor’s “All-Nighter for the Poor.” Stephanie Del Pino was a sophomore at MDC when she helped organize the inaugural campus event and set the ambitious goal. MDC students worked with administrators leading up to the event to coordinate on-campus speaker presentations, car washes and weekly bake sales. The pre-event fundraising was critical to the success of the MDC team. The additional exposure allowed them to tell the story of the poor in the classroom and community. The MDC All-Nighter culminated in a giant outdoor party that included various types of dance, food from around the world, song, games, performances, art, poetry and more.

“Haiti’s debilitating famine and earthquake compels us to take social responsibility to help alleviate poverty and transform lives,” said Del Pino.

To register your school or join your school’s “All-Nighter for the Poor” team visit www.allnighterforthepoor.org. This site also offers a downloadable “How To” guide, publicity materials, and directions to help you create personalized donation pages and more. For more information, please call 1-877-654-2960, ext. 6988 or e-mail info@allnighterforthepoor.org.

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.