High School Students Find Spiritual Experience on Mission Trip to Jamaica

Students and faculty from St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School in Jacksonville, Fla., traveled to Jamaica, January 17-21 on a house-building mission trip with the international relief and development organization Food For The Poor.

“Our building project was simply amazing,” said St. Joseph Academy Campus Minister, Deacon Bryan Ott. “What started as a concrete slab in the morning became a two-bedroom house by lunchtime – complete with a kitchen, bathroom, loft, front porch, windows, doors and a roof.”

The ominous clouds and eventual rains did not distract the group from their mission to build and paint a house in one day. The housing recipient’s children were at school the day of construction. When the key was presented to the single father, members of the group imagined his children’s joyful faces as they returned from school to a house ready for them to call home.

“The most meaningful project was building a house for Mr. Facey and his family,” said Rosie Chryssaidis, a student at St. Joseph Academy. “That day we worked as a team to change lives.”

There is no substitution for the firsthand experience of traveling on a mission trip. The experience required group members to use all of their senses – sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing – and their hearts.

“The experience has taught me to cherish all that I have. It also taught me that being positive is very important,” said Chryssaidis.

“I have left a piece of my heart in Kingston and would love to return to finish the work I started,” said chaperone, Tom Reed. “With God’s blessings I will be back to continue His work and make a small difference in the lives of so many. Any amount of difference helps.”

In addition to building a home in a day, the 15 students saw and heard firsthand accounts about the harsh realities of life in developing countries. A fisherman at the Bull Bay Fishing Village shared his heartfelt gratitude for Food For The Poor’s donors, saying he is thankful for the opportunity to have a job that would not be possible without their support. His personal story impacted many in the group, and motivated them to send supplies to assist those living in the fishing village.

Group members also played checkers, dominoes and Jenga at the Alpha Boys Home; hosted an impromptu soccer match and braided hair with the visually impaired children at Salvation Army School for the Blind; spoon-fed porridge to handicapped children; and played with AIDS infected children at a playground.

Food For The Poor’s Golden Age Home in Kingston, Jamaica, is home to approximately 360 elderly and handicapped residents. The students were surprised to learn that without the charity’s assistance to feed, clothe and care for the abandoned mentally and physically challenged children and adults, they would be forced to live on the streets. In the shade of a tree at Golden Age Home the group gathered to hear how a gunshot victim became constrained to a wheelchair as a youth.

“At a homeless shelter [in Jamaica], the students didn’t just serve a meal, they sat down and talked, sang, and even shared hugs with the homeless,” said Deacon Ott. “In a situation that would have intimidated most adults, the students jumped right in and gave a powerful affirmation of the dignity of those they served, sending the message that someone cares and wants to hear what they have to say.”

“I realized the realities of poverty in Jamaica and how tough it really is for all of the disabled poor and homeless, as well as the parentless,” said Henning Ander, a student at St. Joseph Academy. “I loved the trip.”

“All the visits brought me to Christ,” said chaperone, Cathy Windish. “He lives in each one of us healthy or disabled, rich or poor.”

An important part of mission trips is the daily group reflection time, which provides students the opportunity to share their thoughts, feelings and life-changing experiences.

“The students opened their hearts to those in need, and really wrestled with how difficult some people have it in life,” said Deacon Ott. “The trip provided many lessons in love, and returning the love given so freely by the Jamaican children.”

Rosie Chryssaidis and Holly Linville were selected by their peers to receive the “Spirit of Mission” award. The criteria included spirituality, work ethic, leadership and community-building. There were many close runners-up.

Another group of St. Joseph Academy students will travel to Jamaica, March 21-25 on a similar house- building mission trip with Food For The Poor.

You can learn more about Food For The Poor’s mission trips by viewing the YouTube video, calling 1-800-427-9104 ext. 6216 or 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. 6988 or e-mailing churchschool@foodforthepoor.org.

“There are real people behind the faces we may see on brochures, billboards, and TV. Those people are beautiful in their simplicity and genuineness,” said Windish.

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:
Jennifer Leigh Oates
Public Relations
(954) 427-2222 x 6054
jennifero@foodforthepoor.org

Compassionate Palm Beach Philanthropists Unite to Build Homes

Palm Beach philanthropists Robert G. and Arlette Gordon (Grand Honorary Chairpersons) joined Elizabeth Bowden (Gala Chairwoman) and Paul Marino (Event Chairman) on stage at Food For The Poor’s eighth-annual Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures gala on Jan. 30 at The Breakers, Palm Beach.

Food For The Poor’s gala began with a superb wine tasting reception with selected wines compliments of Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., and Republic National Distributing Company. Throughout the reception, unique wine selections, jewelry and exotic escapes were among the varied silent and live auction prizes.

Once in the ballroom Arlette Gordon thanked Patrick Park and Nathalie Fernandez for graciously committing to be the charity’s platinum benefactors. She then mentioned Silver and Gala benefactors by name, thanking them individually for their support to build critically needed homes in developing countries.

Silver benefactors include Elizabeth Bowden, Florence DeGeorge, Robert G. and Arlette Gordon, and Howard and Michele Kessler. Gala benefactors include Helen Bernstein, Stanley and Helene Karp, Charlotte Kimelman, Henry Fong and Mary Virginia Knight, Anneliese Langner, Hermé de Wyman Miro – The International Society of Palm Beach, Patty Myura – Eleanor Reeves Foundation, and Ari Rifkin.

After Arlette Gordon briefly reminisced on their friendship and travel excursions, Bowden attributed her becoming a supporter of Food For The Poor to Arlette Gordon.

“Living on this beautiful island, it is hard to imagine the horrific living conditions that exist in Haiti,” said Bowden. “More than a million Haitians were displaced immediately following the earthquake, and they struggle daily to find food, safe drinking water and shelter. By supporting Food For The Poor’s “Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures” gala, you, too, can help provide permanent housing for those who have nowhere to call home.”

The Breakers Executive Chef Jeff Simms described the five-course menu that featured each of The Breakers’ restaurants, and mentioned the specially selected fine wines that were chosen to enhance each course. Robert Gordon’s epicurean reputation is known throughout Palm Beach, and for many years he has been recognized as one of the area’s most generous philanthropists and past Bailli-Confrérie de las Chaines des Rôtisseurs.

“Food For The Poor is one of those charities that does not just send money,” said Robert Gordon. “They make sure the supplies reach those who need them the most. Food For The Poor is a good steward with donations – more than 96 percent of all donations go directly to programs that help the poor.”

Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director, began by thanking the Gordons, Elizabeth Bowden and Paul Marino for all they have done through the years to introduce Food The Poor to the Palm Beach community.

Aloma recalled how a few days before last year’s event he returned from the devastated country of Haiti. As of December 2010, he said Food For The Poor had shipped 1,465 tractor-trailer loads of food, water, medicines and other lifesaving relief aid valued at $205 million to Haiti. More than 1,589 permanent two-room homes with sanitation units and access to water have also been built to house displaced earthquake victims. Members of the crowd applauded when Aloma said the $20.7 million dollars collected as Haiti emergency earthquake relief funds by Food For The Poor had been spent by the end of October 2010.

Then Aloma introduced Ray Mou, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami (Taiwan), the gala’s Grand Benefactor. He described Mou as a wonderful man and poet.

“Half a century ago, between 1949 and 1965, Taiwan received nearly a $1.5 billion loan and grant from the United States to reconstruct its economy after World War II,” said Mou. “Now, as the twenty-fourth largest economy in the world we are no longer a recipient state. We actively lend a helping hand to people in need. The ultimate purpose of our humanitarian diplomacy is to promote humanity and to ask for nothing back in return. We wish we could do more to help the Global Village.”

Mou said the Taiwanese did not hesitate to help following the earthquake in Haiti. Joint initiatives between Taiwan ICDF and Food For The Poor include feeding the destitute, and the in-country production of food through agriculture, farm-raised fish and livestock breeding – self-sustainable initiatives that teach people how to earn a living. In 2010, Taiwan ICDF donated 1,250 tons of rice to Food For The Poor.

During the live auction, Curt Fonger, master of ceremonies and CBS WPEC Channel 12’s weeknight anchor, rallied the crowd in support of Food For The Poor’s mission. Auction prizes included exotic vacation destinations such as Hong Kong and Montego Bay, Jamaica. The third item to be auctioned was one of Oprah Winfrey’s Favorite Things. A donor gave the Philip Stein, diamond-bezel watch to Food For The Poor, so monies raised could assist with the charity’s house building effort.

Earlier in the evening, Aloma thanked attendees for their gift of presence, telling the audience that every dance helps to wipe away tears; every course helps bring back people on the verge of despair; and every sip of wine gives people back the ability to dream. The performances by La Mystique enthralled guests and filled the dance floor.

Gala sponsors included American Nicaraguan Foundation, Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., Russ Reid Company, Republic National Distributing Company, and TerraGroup.

For additional information regarding the Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures event, please call 1-888-404-4248 or visit the event page online.

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.

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

Basketball Team Learns Life Lesson off the Hardwood in Jamaica

The varsity boy’s basketball team at Pine Crest School is making a name for itself. With more than a dozen wins under their belt this season, the two-time state champions tipped off two games in January – not in the “Sunshine State,” but on an island in the sun.

Located in Fort Lauderdale, the Pine Crest Panthers were invited to participate in the Caribbean Shootout in Jamaica with matchups against Kingston College and St. Georges College on Jan.14 and 15. But this trip was about much more than basketball, said Pine Crest President Lourdes Cowgill, who traveled with the team.

“This was a wonderful educational experience for our players because they got to meet kids their age and younger who live in orphanages,” said Cowgill. “Thanks to Food For The Poor, our boys got a lesson in service. I am very proud of the way they conducted themselves both on and off the basketball court.”

The Panthers’ four-day “Journey of Hope to Jamaica” trip was made possible in part because of Food For The Poor. While on the island, the young men had the opportunity to host basketball clinics at Alpha Boys Home, and the Maxfield Park Children’s Home in Kingston. The children received basketballs and soon will receive two pallets loaded with hundreds of pairs of sneakers, uniforms, and, of course, more basketballs. This trip took on a special meaning for a couple of the team’s players, co-captains Keith Parkinson, and Traveon Henry, whose parents are from the island.

“Jamaica was the first country served by Food For The Poor in 1982, and we’ve helped many to obtain suitable housing, food, and much needed goods in kind,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “But it’s the work we’ve done in the schools and with the orphanages that touches us the most. The future of Jamaica is in the hands of its young people; it was good to see Pine Crest’s basketball team spearhead this noble initiative and to see the pride of the young men with family ties to the island.”

For the last six years, the varsity basketball team has taken annual trips to Ohio, New York, Atlanta, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and to Springfield, Mass. The Panthers’ Head Coach David Beckerman said his team not only took on two of Jamaica’s top schools in the sport of basketball, but his players got a priceless experience that will last a lifetime.

“There is more to life than a game of basketball,” said Beckerman. “We need to understand that there are people who are less fortunate, and it is our obligation to help.”

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.

Charity Presents Powerful Stories of Children Who Struggle to Survive in Developing Countries

For the first time ever in long-form programming, Food For The Poor will share with viewers in the United States the desperate plight of children who suffer horrific living conditions in developing countries. The personal stories of children in Haiti and Guatemala show the harsh realities of extreme destitution, while simultaneously providing viewers the opportunity to be a true blessing to the poor and hungry, by becoming an Angel Of The Poor.

Every day, millions of children are forced to go hungry, thousands suffer from severe malnourishment, and their parents are helpless to save them. 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.

“Food For The Poor donors have been saving lives for 29 years in the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO. “Our donors have empowered us to be the premier providers of aid in Haiti, Jamaica, Guyana and almost all countries of Central America. This aid takes the form of life-saving food, water, permanent housing, education, medicine, micro-enterprise and self-sustainability projects – all this while maintaining an administrative cost ratio of less than 4 percent.”

During the program, spokesperson Cheryl Ladd, who starred in “Charlie’s Angels,” asks viewers to consider giving monthly to the nonprofit Food For The Poor.

The charity partners with suppliers to stretch the purchasing power of your monetary donations, so lifesaving resources can reach even more precious children.

“Despite our efficient, effective and impactful work funded by a solid number of generous and loyal donors, we still remain strangers to a large part of this country’s population,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “I am confident that this exciting initiative in the medium of television will introduce our work to a larger audience and gain us a plethora of new friends with a heart for serving those who live in extreme poverty.”

Based on viewers’ unique life experiences, everyone will be moved differently by the personal stories. Some will identify with the young mother who is unable to provide for the two children God gave her – who escapes from her painful reality of parasites and her children’s cries of hunger by praying to God. Others will identify more with the siblings’ struggles to provide food and as little as $1 - $2 by scouring dangerous garbage dumps in Guatemala for materials to be recycled, repurposed or eaten.

Through their suffering they pray for refuge in God’s love and comfort.

The program includes donor testimonials to inspire and remind viewers that every gift, regardless of size and value will help Food For The Poor provide food, medicine, shelter and access to safe drinking water to the poorest of the poor.

Learn how you can become an Angel Of The Poor.

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.

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.

N.J. Teen Shares Passion For Baseball With D.R.

New Jersey State Baseball Champion Chris Lowery has organized baseball and softball equipment collections in his hometown of Randolph, N.J., for disadvantaged children in the Dominican Republic. Knowing the D.R.’s national pastime is baseball, Lowery is passionate about helping the country’s youth sharpen their skills by donating new equipment, and giving them the opportunity to meet some of the world’s best homegrown talent.

Lowery traveled to the D.R. in December with his father to distribute more than 2,000 mitts, bats, balls, helmets, catcher’s gear, cleats and uniforms to orphans and local baseball leagues with the assistance of Food For The Poor and Brother’s Brother Foundation. Approximately 500 baseball jerseys donated by the Florida-based Rotary Club of Perrine-Cutler Ridge-Palmetto Bay also were distributed.

Florida Marlins’ center fielder Emilio Bonifacio participated in the distribution of baseball supplies in his hometown of Santo Domingo.

“It was very important for me to be there because when I was their age, it was hard for me to find equipment,” said Bonifacio, between receiving high-fives and taking photos with the young players. “I grew up close by and hope the next great player comes from here.”

As the special guests handed out the equipment to the young players, Bonifacio advised them, “Take advantage of this because the whole world does not have this opportunity.”

Lowery comes from a town where baseball is a big deal, so it was no surprise at his final at bat in Santo Domingo he hit the ball out of the park. As he ran around the bases, his teammates were giving him high-fives, rooting for him as he rounded third and headed home.

“The whole team was lining up getting ready to cheer me on,” said Lowery. “It was a tremendous feeling to see baseball is universal – baseball is baseball and everybody loves the sport. It was just awesome. I feel like one of them.”

Sometimes in developing countries local teams have to share bats, and only have enough baseball gloves to field one team. As the players hustle to leave the field, they toss their mitts to the opponents.

This was the second time Lowery, a senior at Randolph High School in N.J., has distributed baseball equipment in the D.R. The initiative started in response to a challenge to help others posed by his father.

“This challenge set into motion a series of events that would have a significant impact on me and thousands of underprivileged boys and girls in the Dominican Republic, and create a foundation for giving for years to come,” said Lowery. “As I began to pass out the mitts, cleats, baseball pants, bats, and helmets, the children’s broad grins, dancing eyes and genuine appreciation forever changed me. Instead of feeling satisfied with our accomplishment, the experience created a burning passion within me to do more – much more.”

“This whole experience reminds us of what Food For The Poor is really all about, bringing love and hope to others,” said Rachmani Domersant, Vice President of International Operations at Food For The Poor.

A video of Lowery and Bonifacio distributing the gear is available on YouTube.

To donate toward Food For The Poor funded projects in the Dominican Republic, please visit Food For The Poor's Web site.

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.

“Together: We Remember, We Celebrate, We Believe”

Food For The Poor will have a meditative, candlelit service at Food For The Poor’s office on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. The service will include scripture readings, moments of quiet reflection, songs, and prayers all in remembrance of the approximately 3 million Haitians and international travelers whose lives forever changed on Jan. 12. Together we will celebrate the persistence and faith of the Haitian people, the courage and strength of the rescuers, and the brotherhood of their supporters.

Twelve candles will be lighted during the Taizé prayer service, to commemorate the day when the devastating earthquake hit. During the service, The Reverend Sara McKinley, Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Coral Springs and Karla Dejean, Director of Diversity at Pine Crest Preparatory School in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, will read scriptures. The Right Reverend Leopold Frade, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida and a member of Food For The Poor’s Board of Directors, will close the service with a blessing of peace.

At 4:53 p.m., immediately after the eighth candle is lighted, bells will ring. The Haitian-born vocalists in the group Supremacy will then sing the Haitian national anthem. A one-year anniversary video will be shown to document Food For The Poor’s rebuilding efforts, response to the deadly cholera outbreak, and the hope that remains alive in Haiti.

Food For The Poor has been working in Haiti since 1986. This allowed the organization to respond immediately when the earthquake devastated the country. As of December 31, 2010, Food For The Poor sent 1,459 tractor-trailer loads of food, water, medicines and other lifesaving relief aid valued at more than $205 million to Haiti. These shipping containers also included water-filtration systems, building supplies, tools and hygiene kits. Food For The Poor has honored its commitment to donors by spending all Haiti emergency earthquake relief funds by the end of October 2010.

With more than a million people living in tent cities, Food For The Poor’s biggest project is building homes. More than 14,000 homes have been constructed by the charity in Haiti – 1,589 of those since the Jan. 12 earthquake. The charity has the capacity to build 350 two-room homes a month, and is limited only by funding. Food For The Poor publishes regular updates of its work in Haiti on www.foodforthepoor.org.

Watch Food For The Poor’s Haiti Earthquake Anniversary 2011 video.

A summary of Food For The Poor's work in post-earthquake Haiti is also available.

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.

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