St. George’s College in Jamaica Inducts South Florida-based Nonprofit Leader to Hall of Fame

As a student at St. George’s College in Jamaica, Robin Mahfood learned the virtues of integrity, charity and justice necessary to guide the largest international relief and development organization in the United States. Now, those qualities have earned him a place in the hall of fame.

Mahfood’s mission as President/ CEO of the nonprofit Food For The Poor, is to link the church of the First World with the church of the Third World to help both the materially poor and the poor in spirit. His dedication to improve the lives of others has earned him the honor of induction into his alma mater’s distinguished hall of fame on Sat., Sept. 18, at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston. Additional honorees include Ambassador Anthony Hill, Professor Donald Clarke, Thomas Lyew and Father Denis Cruchley.

“Robin and I were both trained by the Jesuits,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor and graduate of St. George’s College. “The Jesuits emphasized the importance of service to the poor and needy. Similar to the responsibilities of our Jesuit Brothers, Robin’s daily decisions impact Food For The Poor’s ability to build schools, homes and vocational training centers, care for the sick, elderly and orphaned and restore the poor’s ability to dream again.”

Recognizing the importance of education, Mahfood has implemented initiatives designed to encourage destitute parents to send their children to school rather than take them to beg or search garbage dumps for recyclable materials. School feeding programs, marching band programs and the installation of water pumps are a few ways Mahfood helps children to discover their potential and passions, while avoiding the lure of gangs, guns and drugs.

“Children today face tremendous challenges and need faith and guidance in their lives,” said Mahfood. “The lack of access to safe, clean fresh water, keeps many young girls from attending school. Forced to walk for miles in search of water to collect for their family’s needs, they return home carrying containers on their heads that can weigh 40 or more pounds. By drilling water wells and encouraging youths to pick up a musical instrument instead of a gun, we can make a positive difference – one person, one family at a time.”

As a student at St. George’s College, Mahfood was inspired by the Jesuit school’s motto, “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” (“For the greater glory of God”). This Latin phase is engraved in brick above the school’s main North Street entrance.

Under the leadership of Mahfood, Food For The Poor has experienced impressive growth while maintaining an operating expense ratio under 4 percent. The organization is consistently recognized by Forbes Magazine for its exemplary charitable commitment and fundraising efficiency ratios.

Past honorees include: Jamaican engineer Joseph Aloysius Kelly; the faithful and generous Father Roy Campbell, S.J.; scientist Professor Anthony Chen; community developer and visionary Robert Vernon; and football player and athlete Karl Largie.

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.