Robotic Hand for Child

	Today in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Stevenson Joseph (12) received a RoboHand, which was given to him by Food For The Poor donor John Marshall.
Related Items: See Photos of the Visit Watch Video of the Visit

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (April 7, 2014) – Two dreams were fulfilled today, those of the giver and of the recipient, when Food For The Poor donor John Marshall delivered a prosthetic hand to a child he met last year in the Little Children of Jesus Home.

“Food For The Poor donors never cease to amaze me. When I heard what John was doing, I knew that it was truly God-inspired generosity,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. "Stevenson’s life will be very different because his life crossed paths with John Marshall.”

When Marshall met the 12-year-old child last year on a mission trip with the charity, he could not get the boy out of his mind. The child, Stevenson, had been abandoned by his mother at the home for disabled children as a 3-year-old, having been born with no fingers on one hand, and only a tiny bit of thumb and pinky finger on the other.

After Marshall met Stevenson last May, he had the child on his mind when he was reading one of his technology magazines about three weeks after they first met. Marshall read about how 3-D printers could be used to create custom-fitted prosthetics, suitable for fast growing children. The 3-D printer solution seemed tailor-made for Stevenson.

It took John nine months and two attempts to try to make the hand, using 3-D printer technology and a technique he learned from reading about South African entrepreneur Richard Van As. While Stevenson watched on Monday, Marshall completed assembly of the hand to make sure that it fit well on the child’s wrist.

“I used to do this sort of thing all the time with Legos when I was a child,” Marshall said as he completed his work on the hand at the prosthetics center in the Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince.

Marshall and Bernard Mevs Prosthetic Engineer Thomas Iwalla laid out the prosthetic hand ultimately made by Richard Van As of RoboHand, along with additional pieces, and began to assemble Stevenson’s miracle.

Because Stevenson has some use of his right hand, he will only be fitted with the prosthetic hand on the left. Marshall said he will make a new hand about every two years as Stevenson grows. The Bernard Mevs Hospital Prosthetics Center will play an integral role in training and maintenance.

“The hand of God was a big part of this,” Marshall said. “I am only doing what was presented in front of me to do. Stevenson is handicapped in a small way, in a way that’s not as bad as some of the other children, yet his hands are holding him back. He can do so much more. He has the potential.”

Marshall headed to Haiti just as the hand was shipped from Van As in South Africa. The man and the boy reunited over the workshop table on Monday morning. It was just as Marshall envisioned. Click to see video of Stevenson trying out the hand: www.foodforthepoor.org/robotichand

“If you don’t shepherd something through from the beginning, it won’t happen. It’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to see this through to the end.”

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.

Salute to Volunteers

Food For The Poor Salutes Donors and Volunteers

	In March, Lin and Lenny Crispinelli traveled to Jamaica with a group of volunteers to build their fifth basic school in honor of their daughter, Stephanie, through Food For The Poor. The Crispinellis have dedicated their efforts to the memory of Stephanie, who was also very active in serving Food For The Poor.
Related Item: See Our Donors at Work

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (April 3, 2014) – Food For The Poor thanks all of its dedicated volunteers in observance of National Volunteer Week, April 6-12. Each year, individuals of all ages and backgrounds travel with Food For The Poor to developing countries to lend a hand while others donate time, money, and other resources to fundraising events and specific causes.

“We thank our countless volunteers and donors who, by their exemplary service, attract and inspire others to take action,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “Their contributions remind us daily that each and every one of us is a part of a global village, where just one person can positively impact the lives of many others in very real and meaningful ways.”

Before a March trip to Jamaica, Food For The Poor donors Lin and Lenny Crispinelli helped other volunteers load backpacks with school supplies for elementary students attending schools they have built in Jamaica. Since 2010, the Crispinellis have dedicated their efforts to the memory of their daughter, Stephanie, who was traveling with Food For The Poor when she died in the 2010 earthquake.

The couple has continued Stephanie’s work through annual fundraising projects and a pledge to build a school each year in her honor. The Crispinellis travel to Jamaica annually and have built five schools, all called Steph’s Place.

“We’ve got to keep this going,” said Lin Crispinelli, while at the work site of the second school built in 2011. “Everybody is so excited. It has been a wonderful experience.”

Earlier this year, 9-year-old junior golfer Rafe Cochran became one of Food For The Poor’s youngest donors. Even at such a young age, he realized that the need in Ganthier, Haiti, is tremendous. Large families there share small, fragile huts made with mud and sticks.

A January field trip with his fellow third-grade classmates from Palm Beach Day Academy to the Food For The Poor headquarters in Coconut Creek, Fla., inspired Rafe to help. He decided to pledge holes to the charity at a recent golf tournament held in Miami. Through his talents, the young golfer raised enough funds to build two homes – and he’s not stopping there.

“My goal is to build hundreds of houses for Haiti. No matter how young you are, you can always take action and support people,” said Rafe. “It makes me feel happy to help people. I wanted to support Food For The Poor because I saw how these children live and how fortunate I am. I was devastated and wanted to help.”

Donations to support Rafe’s goals can be made through his Champion For The Poor webpage at www.foodforthepoor.org/rafe. You can also support the legacy of Stephanie Crispinelli’s memory by building schools in Jamaica at  www.foodforthepoor.org/stephanie.

Ways to get involved:

• Become a Champion For The Poor
• Become a Volunteer Ambassador
• Become a corporate volunteer
• Get your church, school or community organization to team with FFP
• Find out if your employer matches gifts
• Request a speaker: get the word out about FFP’s mission by arranging speaking engagements through the Food For The Poor’s Speakers’ Bureau

For more information about Food For The Poor’s projects, causes, and programs for donors and volunteers, visit www.foodfor thepoor.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 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

U.S. Disaster Relief

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (March 24, 2014) – Longtime charity partners Food For The Poor and Matthew 25: Ministries are launching an initiative to jointly respond to selected disasters in the United States. To kick off this new aspect of the relationship, the M25M Disaster Response Fleet arrived at FFP headquarters early today and a team from both organizations pre-positioned supplies at a South Florida church and an outreach center later in the afternoon.

Matthew 25: Ministries, an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, responds to disaster situations that are so catastrophic or comprehensive in nature that coping with the aftermath is beyond the capabilities of the community or the surrounding areas. Matthew 25: Ministries provides critical necessities to distribution partners in disaster areas including tarps, blankets, nonperishable food, water, personal care products, baby supplies, medical supplies and cleaning products to support relief and recovery efforts.

While Food For The Poor’s mission is primarily to serve internationally, the charity has responded in the past to catastrophic disasters in the United States, including Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 in New York, and to meet basic needs for local relief agencies.

“Working with Matthew 25 to respond to disasters in the United States will help us better fulfill our mission to serve and comfort those who are in desperate need,” said Robin Mahfood, CEO/President of Food For The Poor. “Our core work remains in developing countries where there are no safety nets, but this will allow us to serve our brothers and sisters in this country who are hurting.”

Matthew 25’s entire disaster relief fleet of trucks, trailers and specialty vehicles can be deployed within 24 hours of a catastrophic event. Recently, Matthew 25’s disaster relief fleet has responded to Superstorm Sandy, Oklahoma and Illinois tornadoes, flooding in Colorado, and the chemical spill in West Virginia. One of the relief units purifies water and can make 12,000 pounds of ice a day.

"Matthew 25: Ministries is excited about this new phase of our partnership with Food For The Poor. Food For The Poor's extensive network of contacts throughout the United States is the perfect complement to Matthew 25: Ministries' efficient, effective capabilities for catastrophic disaster relief. This extension of our current partnership will help many more people in need when they need it most," said Tim Mettey, CEO and Disaster Relief Coordinator for Matthew:25 Ministries.

A 20-foot container filled with personal care kits, toilet paper, paper towels, blankets and first-aid supplies were distributed Monday afternoon at a Catholic church and at Hope Outreach Center in Broward County. More supplies will be delivered later to three agencies in Palm Beach County  -- The Lord’s Place, Center for Family Services and St. Ann’s.

Matthew 25: Ministries rescues, repurposes and reuses approximately 14,000,000 pounds of excess corporate products each year and redistributes them to people in desperate need throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Each year, Matthew 25: Ministries impacts the lives of more than 15,000,000 individuals in the United States and around the world. More than 99% of Matthew 25: Ministries’ cash and in-kind donations go toward programs. Matthew 25 is top-ranked on Forbes' list of the Most Efficient Large Charities in the US and holds a four-star ranking from Charity Navigator. Matthew 25: Ministries appears in The "Philanthropy 400" listing of America's Top Charities and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau through the "Wise Giving Alliance Standards.” For more information, visit www.m25m.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 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, visit www.foodforthepoor.org.        

“Fight Hunger” Challenge

	Food For The Poor feeds hundreds of thousands a day in the 17 Caribbean and Latin American countries it serves. A donation of $14.60 will feed a family of four for a month. Rice and beans is an excellent source of protein and are the foundation for the nutritious meals Food For The Poor provides.
Related Item: See More Photos

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2014) – For 32, years Food For The Poor has faithfully cared for the basic needs of people living in unimaginable poverty in parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. The ministry got its start in Jamaica in 1982, but has since grown to become an international relief and development organization that feeds hundreds of thousands a day in the 17 countries it serves.

Rising food and fuel costs are straining the charity’s ability to buy food and transport it to people who are desperate for nutrition. To help overcome this obstacle, the organization will be participating in the 17th Annual $1 Million Giveaway to Fight Hunger Challenge. Food For The Poor is one of dozens of nonprofits that will benefit from this challenge, but the more donations made on behalf of the ministry, the more money the organization will receive.

Here’s how this will work:

• Click on www.FoodForThePoor.org/feedingchallenge to make a donation.
• Donations must be made between March 1 and April 30, 2014.

The funds for the challenge are coming from the Feinstein Foundation, which is based in Cranston, R.I. The money will be divided proportionately among all charities. A minimum of $250 and a maximum of $35,000 will go to each participating organization.

Food For The Poor is very efficient – and can feed a family of four for one month for just $14.60. A donation to the “Fight Hunger” Challenge will help the charity stretch its dollars even further.

“We are extremely grateful to the Feinstein Foundation for providing our donors with this unique opportunity to grow their donations by taking part in this unparalleled campaign, which will help us to feed thousands of hungry families,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

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.

Show House Visitors Fund 5 Homes in Haiti

	Proceeds from the Designer Show House event will build five homes in Ganthier, Haiti.
Related Item: View Photos of the Show House

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (February 26, 2014) – Almost 700 people visited Lighthouse Interiors’ “Tour a House, Build a House” Designer Show House event over the weekend, making it possible for Food For The Poor to build five homes for desperate families living in mud huts in Ganthier, Haiti.

For three festive days, Feb. 21-23, visitors enjoyed tours of the 10,000-square-foot luxury home located at 2316 NE 30th Court in Lighthouse Point. Attendees were also treated to a wine-tasting, champagne, decadent dessert, live steel pan music, and a swimwear fashion show.

Displaying a mix of both traditional and contemporary styles, a dozen of the area’s top designers joined Bridget Conway, principal of Lighthouse Interiors, in transforming the home’s empty rooms and outdoor areas into inviting living quarters.

“We brought in a prominent group of South Florida designers who graciously agreed to share their incredible talents by imparting their magic throughout the house,” said Conway. “Without this fantastic team’s generosity, we could not have produced this showcase to generate much-needed funds to build safe and secure homes for some of the poorest families in Haiti.”

Ganthier is a small, rural community in Haiti where many families live without running water, electricity and very little food. Event proceeds will provide sturdy, two-room homes constructed with concrete block, poured cement foundations, and zinc roofs. Each home will be powered with solar energy and equipped with sanitation.

“Food For The Poor was honored to have Bridget Conway and all of the talented designers lend time, effort and extraordinary skill to support such an important cause,” said Robin Mahfood, President of Food For The Poor. “The houses we build for the people of Ganthier are more than just brick and mortar. They offer a foundation of hope.”

“Tour a House, Build a House” officially opened with a VIP reception on Thursday, Feb. 20, and offered guests eye-catching decor, cocktails courtesy of Bacardi, and a selection of gourmet samples prepared and served by Executive Chef Nestor “Alex” Amaya of El Tamarindo Café.  The event also featured a colorful fashion show hosted by Styles Boutique, a silent auction, music by Miami’s DJ UP, and door prizes.

The South Florida designers who joined Bridget Conway in the design of the home are Kenneth Crawford of Kenneth Crawford Interiors; Ellen de Vos of Michael Taylor Designs; Frances Herrera of Frances Herrera Interior Design; Sonia Lise Longchamp ASID, Kay Smith, and Gene Valentino of Sklar Furnishings; Kendall Marcelle of Kendall Marcelle Design Associates, Inc.; Bernard and Stephanie Molyneux, owners of ACP Home Interiors; Sabrina Wilson of Lighthouse Interiors; Century Furniture; TBG Partners and Spruce Home & Garden.

The premier sponsor for the 2014 Designer Show House was Campbell & Rosemurgy Real Estate. Additional sponsors included Bacardi Limited, El Tamarindo Café, U.S.A. Transportation, Bay Branch Foundation, Bayview Animal Clinic, Heritage Investment Group, Les Bijoux, LLC, Sheehan Buick GMC, The Prenner Team — Cathy and Jack Prenner and Wells Fargo.

For more information, visit foodforthepoor.org/showhousegallery.    

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.

Sevenly Partnership for Kids

	Food For The Poor and Sevenly.org, a cause marketing organization, joined together to raise enough funds to feed more than 1,800 impoverished children in Guatemala for two months.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 26, 2014) – Food For The Poor and Sevenly.org have completed a one-week campaign that has raised enough funds to feed more than 1,800 hungry children in Guatemala for two months.

"We deeply admire the work of Food For The Poor, and we felt honored to team up with the organization for a campaign partnership,” said Megan Guerra, Director of Charity Relations for Sevenly.

For a period of seven days, Sevenly - a cause marketing organization created nearly three years ago - sold limited-edition merchandise on behalf of Food For The Poor. A donation of $7 from each purchase was used to aid the charity’s hunger relief efforts in the Central American country, where more than half of the population lives below the poverty line.

 “I commend the awesome work Sevenly is doing to bring awareness to great causes,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “I am simply amazed at what our two organizations, with the help of supporters, were able to accomplish in only a matter of days for needy children in Guatemala. The meals provided will be truly lifesaving.”

Food For The Poor provides food, shelter, water and agricultural training to hundreds of thousands living in developing countries. Earlier this month, the charity commemorated 32 years of service.

To make a tax-deductible donation to Food For The Poor, visit www.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 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. 

About Sevenly
Sevenly is a co-profit company founded in June 2011 to raise capital and awareness for the world’s greatest causes. Each week Sevenly partners with one qualified nonprofit to sell a shirt specifically designed for that week’s campaign, with seven dollars from each shirt sale going to the charity. Run by CEO Dale Partridge, the company’s goal is to provide support to charities through increased awareness, funding and following. To learn more about Sevenly, visit http://www.Sevenly.org.

Thanks its Donors for 32 Years of Love

	This mother and her children in Guyana were provided a new home by generous Food For The Poor donors. Since the charity's inception, more than 91,000 housing units have been built.
Related Item: See Your Donations at Work

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2014) – On its 32nd anniversary of serving the poor, Food For The Poor thanks its donors for what they have done for the most destitute in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. The ministry that started out as a feeding program in Jamaica has grown exponentially to become the largest international relief organization in the United States, with associated charities in Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica and Canada.

“Our donors truly have heard the cries of the poor. It is amazing to think what they have done for the very poorest of the poor for all of these years,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “Ranging from the smallest, most innocent child to the wisest elders of our community, our donors have one thing in common – huge hearts that have a place in them for the poor.”

The ministry, through its dedicated donors, has built more than 91,000 housing units, shipped almost 67,000 containers filled with essential goods, and delivered more than $10 billion in aid since its inception in 1982.  In 2013 alone, 33 schools were built or expanded, 12 of which were in Haiti, a country that lost most of its schools in the 2010 earthquake. Almost 300 water wells and other clean water projects were completed.

The charity’s desire to align ever more closely with its generous supporters resulted this year in a Pledge to Donors, written by Executive Director Angel Aloma. The pledge reads, in part:

Because you have a desire to give,
We have an opportunity to fulfill that desire.
Because you have choice in charitable giving,
Our service must be superior.
Because you have a sense of urgency,
We must act promptly.
Because you have expectations,
We must exceed them.

“An intense feeling of gratitude inspired me to write this for our donors in appreciation for their generosity and compassion, and my dream is that it inspires us to continue to work closely together for those who have nothing and are counting on us for their very lives,” Aloma said. The pledge can be read in its entirety at www.foodforthepoor.org/pledge

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.