Taiwan Official Visits Food For The Poor

The new Director General of the Taipei Economic Cultural Office in Miami visited the Food For The Poor headquarters on Nov. 24 to offer support of the work that the organization is doing for the poor, especially in Haiti.

Director General Ray Mou and Food For The Poor President/CEO Robin Mahfood met to talk about the agency’s work, and how Taiwan can offer further assistance. The two leaders followed the tradition of exchanging symbolic gifts between the organizations.

“As Haiti has endured storms, a food shortage, an earthquake, and now a cholera outbreak, the Taiwanese have helped us feed and take care of the people of Haiti,” Mahfood said. “We are grateful for their continued partnership with us -- not only to meet the immediate food needs, but in helping us come up with solutions for long-term hunger problems.”

From 2005 to 2008, Taiwan sent 40 containers of rice every month to Haiti. This monthly donation of 1,000 tons of rice helped Haiti through a critical time of storms and food shortages. And then again, immediately after the earthquake, Taiwan partnered once again with Food For The Poor to ship 500 tons of rice to Haiti. Taiwan’s President Ma traveled to the Dominican Republic to personally oversee the handing over of 10 tons of relief supplies, and Taiwan offered food aid to meet emergency needs, working through Food For The Poor and other agencies.

“I am deeply impressed by the work that Food For The Poor has done for the people in need, especially for the Haitian people who are now facing many challenges,” Director General Mou said. “On behalf of the government and people in Taiwan, I expect to work closely with Food For The Poor in the area of humanitarian aid. It is a high priority on my list to fulfill my mission in Miami.”

The Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF) has extensive experience in the development of fish farms, especially in growing tilapia, and has partnered with Food For The Poor to establish basa farms in the poverty-stricken, food-deficient countries served by the nonprofit.

Taiwan’s first lady Chow Mei-ching and daughter, Lesley Ma, traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in August to assess the situation and meet with Mahfood. The mother-daughter humanitarian team eagerly rolled up their sleeves in Food For The Poor’s feeding center as they helped serve rice donated from the people of Taiwan to Haiti’s destitute.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the United States, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries in 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 Spends Tens of Millions in Relief for Haiti

Since the Jan. 12 earthquake left Haiti in dire straits, there have been many reports of what’s not being done to meet the country’s needs. News about the Caribbean nation slowed to a crawl soon after the quake and resurfaced only when the cholera outbreak and Hurricane Tomas threatened to take what little the Haitian people have left. According to the Associated Press, more than 1,300 people have died from cholera, and more than 23,000 are sick.

“Our generous donors allowed us to respond immediately and consistently with aid to Haiti,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “We stated from the outset that housing, clean water and sanitation would be priorities in helping the people. That was affirmed again when we learned of the cholera outbreak. We have delivered, with support from our donors and with God’s help we have delivered, and we will continue to walk with the Haitian people every step of the way.”

Food For The Poor’s relief efforts in Haiti have been substantial.

• As of mid-November, Food For The Poor has sent 1,287 containers valued at $175 million in relief to help the people in Haiti. These containers included food, water, and water filtration systems, medicines, building supplies, tools, boots and hygiene kits in response to the cholera.

• The $20.5 million Food For The Poor raised for Haiti emergency earthquake relief had been spent entirely on those efforts by the end of September. The funds were used for purchasing food and other critical items that were not donated, as well as for shipping containers of relief to the country. Some of the relief money went toward building emergency sanitation facilities as well as providing clean water sources.

Since the first days after the quake, Food For The Poor has worked to alleviate suffering and the rebuilding of the lives of the Haitian people.

• Nine months after the earthquake, Food For The Poor had sent more than $155 million worth of aid to Haiti. The charity accelerated homebuilding in the earthquake-ravaged country, and had built more than 1,500 permanent two-room homes outside of Port-au-Prince.

• Six months after the earthquake, Food For The Poor had sent more than $100 million worth of aid to Haiti. That aid was sent in many forms and has transitioned over the weeks and months from emergency relief to relief/rebuilding actions.

1. The charity shipped 845 tractor- trailer loads of goods, including:
-361 containers of food and water
-35 containers of medical supplies
-449 containers of various relief supplies

2. Completed 45 water projects.

• Three months after the earthquake, Food For The Poor delivered 530 tractor-trailer loads of food, medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, building materials and other goods. As of May 31, Food For The Poor had spent $10.7 million in cash outlays. As of June 24, 779 containers of goods were delivered to Haiti, valued at $120.5 million.

1. Food For The Poor provided millions of meals from the rice, beans, canned goods and water shipped into Haiti.
2. The agency installed latrines near tent cities where several thousand people were sharing fewer than a dozen portable toilets.
3. Food For The Poor installed solar lights near the latrines in tent cities and other communities to provide a higher level of safety for the people living nearby.

“There is a great deal of opinion and misinformation about how aid money is being spent – or not spent – in Haiti,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “While we cannot speak for other organizations, we can say with full transparency that if donors have entrusted Food For The Poor with money to be used in Haiti, it has gone to that country, and it has gone without delay. It is simply wrong to use outdated figures and lump all aid organizations into one pile, as some are doing, without the necessary research and reporting.”

The same rapid response Food For The Poor took during the earthquake crisis was activated when news of the cholera outbreak reached Food For The Poor.

Less than 48 hours after the first cholera cases began arriving at hospitals the week of Oct. 18, Food For The Poor deployed and installed five solar- powered water filtration units that each can purify up to 10,000 gallons of water a day. To date, Food For The Poor installed 30 water filtration units in the Artibonite region where the cholera outbreak started.

Critical items needed for cholera relief:

• Medicines, including antibiotics and oral rehydration salts.
• Hygiene kits with soap, toothpaste and other personal care items to help stop the spread of cholera. Approximately 31,000 personal care and hygiene kits were shipped.
• Blankets for more than 46,600 people.
• Powerade and Pedialyte.

To see video of Food For the Poor’s rapid response at the start of the cholera outbreak, visit YouTube.

Food For The Poor, the third-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 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.

We Did It! Boca Grande Builds a Village in Haiti

The Boca Grande Friendship Village Committee set an aggressive goal of building an entire village in Haiti, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the struggling country. More than 200 mothers, fathers and children have moved into 40 two-room homes in the village, and committee members will travel there in February to celebrate with the residents.

“When we set out to build the village, we knew it was a big goal, but we also knew that the people in the community have generous hearts and a spirit to get things done,” said Committee Chairman Ben Scott, who led the initiative to raise $410,000. “Even then, we were surprised when we were able to accomplish it in a year.”

The 24-person committee joined forces months before the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, and their resolve was further strengthened when they learned of the devastating impact the quake had on Haitian families. Since then, the country has faced an outbreak of cholera and a late-season storm that threatened the million-plus people still living in tents.

In Pierre Payen, at the Boca Grande Friendship Village, lives already are being transformed. The village is providing impoverished families with safe housing, clean water, sanitation, agriculture, animal husbandry, a community chicken farm, a vocational center, a community center and a solar-charging system for electricity.

“This community has poured out its hearts to the people of Haiti, and what a blessing it will be to witness what a difference one idea and a dedicated group of individuals can make,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

To watch a short video from the village and hear a thank you from Aloma, please visit Food For The Poor's YouTube channel.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the United States, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries in 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.

Woman Hopes to Turn Trash to Treasure for the Poor

Paying for a home with money raised from a yard sale may seem a like a stretch, but it’s not out of reach if the house on the market is selling for $2,600. That’s all it takes to move a family living in poverty on the island of Jamaica into a cozy new home built from the ground up.

With that thought in mind, and with the holidays quickly turning the corner, one Georgia woman came up with an idea of doing something different this year. It’s an idea, she says, that resulted from of a life-changing trip to Jamaica.

Sara Nix is a 43-year-old woman who lives in the quiet town of Dallas, Ga. She’s a wife and a mother of three children, but last December Nix suffered a devastating blow when she gave birth to a baby boy who did not survive. Four days after the delivery, she suffered heart failure and had to wear a defibrillator vest for several months.

In April, Nix says she decided to go on an eight-day mission trip with Food For The Poor to Jamaica, where she helped with the construction of two houses in St. Elizabeth. She says reaching out to others helped her to heal from her pain.

“God’s grace was so amazing!” said Nix. “It helped me so much, and it allowed me to get up and go help other people.”

With the support of her family, Nix decided to dedicate this holiday season to the memory of her son, whom she and her husband named Luke. Nix says building a home for a family in Jamaica for Christmas is a tribute to him, and a blessing for someone in need.

“With the love of my family, and the support of my spiritual family at Fortified Hills Baptist Church, we decided a yard sale would be a great way to raise the needed funds to build a home in Jamaica. The holidays are supposed to be about helping others,” said Nix.

The yard sale is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 19, and Saturday, Nov. 20, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 95 Valleyside Dr., Dallas, Ga. Nix says they still need merchandise to sell; if you have items to donate please call (404) 663-5549. All unsold items will be donated to charity.

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.

Cholera Deaths Double in Aftermath of Hurricane Tomas

Haitian and international health officials acknowledged today the cholera epidemic continues to grow at an alarming rate, and is now “a matter of national security.” Food For The Poor has shipped and airlifted containers of critically needed supplies such as desperately sought-after medicines, hygiene kits, fluids to rehydrate patients, and blankets. Rains and severe flooding associated with Hurricane Tomas facilitated the spread of the quick-killing disease.

With thousands infected, the situation continues to act as a reminder of the importance of access to clean water and to moving earthquake survivors into permanent housing. Food For The Poor remains committed to investing in sanitation and water projects throughout the country. Since the earthquake, Food For The Poor has shipped more than 1,250 containers of aid and has built more than 1,500 permanent, concrete block two-room homes with sanitation units.

Three weeks after cholera was confirmed in the Caribbean nation, the waterborne sickness has claimed at least 643 lives, mostly in the countryside, according to Associated Press reports from Haiti. The AP reported that approximately 10,000 people are infected and have been hospitalized for cholera throughout Haiti with symptoms including serious diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Consensus is that the deaths usually come from the extreme shock brought on by dehydration.

“Due to the lack of sanitary conditions for more than a million displaced earthquake survivors the threat of an epidemic has been a real possibility for months,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor President/CEO. “The painful reality is that death has become all too common for the people of Haiti. We have heard from the clinics that mothers continue to rock their sick children in their arms in hopes of keeping their babies’ hearts beating.”

“There are so many people who are suffering in Haiti. Their anguish truly hurts my heart,” said Mahfood, whose agency’s 24-year tenure in Haiti has aided the nonprofit’s quick response.

“Many [in Haiti] try to live without knowing really where to go,” said Rev. Duken Augustin, who partners with Food For The Poor in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. “However, as we visited the victims yesterday, I was reminded how much the people count on Food For The Poor. A lady who lost her small business in the waters told me with tears, ‘My situation has never been so difficult. I don’t know what I am going to do to feed my five children, but seeing you here today is comforting. I know that I am not alone.’”

“This is the kind of support that we are trying to bring, especially now that everything seems to go against the country,” said Augustin. “We know that we are not alone. Thank God and many blessings to all of you.”

Access to clean water is a matter of life and death for the people of Haiti. In Haiti, there are a lot of misconceptions about how cholera is spread. The people are afraid now about food and water supplies.

Food For The Poor has moved quickly to ship and install 30 solar-powered filtration units in Haiti’s affected Artibonite region since the cholera outbreak. Water Missions International, in partnership with Food For The Poor, has helped to install the water filtration units. The filtration systems each can treat up to 10,000 gallons of water per day and reduce waterborne diseases by removing suspended pathogens.

A Food For The Poor-Haiti employee recently spoke to a woman near one of the water filtration units in Petit Reviere, in Haiti’s affected Artibonite region. She had recently lost several friends to the cholera outbreak and was desperately trying to keep her family safe. She told the officer, “If it was not for Food For The Poor, I would be dead by now.”

"The epidemic of cholera, a highly contagious disease, is no longer a simple emergency, it's now a matter of national security,” said the director of Haiti’s health ministry, Gabriel Thimote, at a press conference on Nov. 9.

Right now, Food For The Poor is in a race against time to collect much-needed supplies: evaporated and condensed milk, canned mackerel, canned corn beef, canned chicken, sardines, Spam, and Vienna sausages with an expiration date six months or longer; Powerade, Gatorade, and Pedialyte; hygiene kits: with soap, toothpaste, feminine personal-care items, and diapers. Food For The Poor will not accept clothing, shoes, or water; we obtain trailer loads of these items from donors.

To learn how to help, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/emergency or make a $10 donation by texting “HAITI” to 25383.

Food For The Poor, the third-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 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.

Orlando Residents Replace Haiti’s Tents and Shacks with Permanent Homes

At the 11th annual Food For The Poor Orlando event, supporters gave the people of Haiti New Hope, New Beginnings. Event proceeds will be used to construct critically needed homes and sanitation in Emmanuel Village V, in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. The village will house those who have been displaced by the earthquake, and those who are living in the Prolongé swamp and the slums of Shada.

“The situation in Haiti is very serious,” said Robin Mahfood, CEO/President of Food For The Poor, at the Oct. 22 event. “The people of Haiti need everyone’s help to build safe, permanent homes in Haiti.”

Food For The Poor’s building of homes in Haiti is limited only by the nonprofit’s funding.

“I pray Food For The Poor receives a donation for $50 million so we can build as many homes as possible throughout Haiti,” said Mahfood. “There are so many people who are suffering in Haiti. Their anguish truly hurts my heart.”

New Hope, New Beginnings event sponsor, Winter Park Construction and its staff, used drills and hammers to build a 12-by-12 foot house in the hotel’s ballroom at Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa. As guests walked through the modest house, they were able to visualize and appreciate the significance that receiving a Food For The Poor home makes in the lives of the destitute. Food For The Poor can build a safe, permanent house for $2,600; one with a latrine costs $3,100.

During the past 10 years, the passion and commitment of the Orlando community has built more than 500 housing units in Haiti through the Emmanuel Village Home Building Project in Cap-Haitien, Thomazeau and Gonaives.

“More than 1 million people were displaced by the earthquake, some of whom have been forced to live under tarps, blankets and tents,” said Dr. Lynne Nasrallah, Event Chairperson. “You restore hope each time you are able to move families from their dilapidated shanties, and give them the key to a home with a concrete foundation and a roof that does not leak.”

At the gala, Nasrallah gave a detailed and compelling account of her recent journey to Haiti. In July, a handful of Orlando residents traveled to Haiti with Nasrallah on a Food For The Poor-sponsored mission trip to witness firsthand the conditions of the people and to see how the nonprofit continues to improve their lives and living conditions throughout the country. Together they journeyed through swamps, inaugurated a village, served hot meals at Food For The Poor’s distribution center in Port-au-Prince, visited a home for handicapped children, and learned how self-sustainable initiatives empower villages and increase in-country production of food.

The evening included live music, a silent auction, house rally, and a four-course dinner followed by dancing. Bidding on silent auction prizes offers opportunities for guests to shop and donate to the cause at the same time. Prizes included exclusive art and collectibles from the Caribbean and Latin America, designer jewelry, vacations, golf and dining packages.

Committee members include: Anibal & Maritza Beltran, Linda Bonnewitz, Vendla Daverman, The del Campo Family, Cynthia Hawkins, Jackie Heaps, Dr. Aida Jimenez and Isabel Jimenez, Kathy Kinchla, Donna Larson, Tom Murphy, Paul Mylod, Desirae Nasrallah, Nicole Nasrallah, Nancy Padilla, Lisa Padilla, Amira Rivera, Diane Rogers, The Santana Family, Lee Sayago, Marie Schwarz, Gandy Thomas, Jean & Donna Wilson, Kelly Wilkes, and The Winger Family.

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.

Food For The Poor Preparing Haiti for Hurricane Tomas

Ten months after the merciless Jan. 12 earthquake killed hundreds of thousands and left the core of the Caribbean nation in ruins, and three weeks after a deadly cholera outbreak killed several hundred and sickened thousands, Haiti is facing down another potential disaster – Hurricane Tomas.

Weather experts are forecasting Hurricane Tomas will reach Haiti sometime between Friday and Saturday. With more than 1 million people still living in tent cities in and around Port-au-Prince, Food For The Poor is working quickly to provide aid.

“Stop and think about this situation; you have more than 1 million men, women and children living under tents. They have no protection whatsoever from the wind, rain and potential mudslides this storm is expected to bring,” said Food For The Poor President/CEO Robin Mahfood. “A hurricane is the last thing Haiti needs right now, but we can’t give up on the country and its people. We will do our best to help them to recover from these back-to-back disasters.”

Because the organization has been working in Haiti for more than 24 years, it was well-prepared to respond to the cholera outbreak last month by sending dozens of pallets of personal hygiene kits, emergency water, rehydration salts, and blankets.

Since the earthquake, Food For The Poor has shipped 1,241 containers of goods valued at $168 million and has built more than 1,500 concrete block two-roomed homes with sanitation units.

Right now, Food For The Poor is in a race against time to collect much-needed supplies: evaporated and condensed milk, canned mackerel, canned corn beef, canned chicken, sardines, Spam and Vienna sausages with an expiration date six months or longer; Powerade, Gatorade and Pedialyte; hygiene kits with soap, toothpaste, feminine personal care items and diapers. Food For The Poor is not accepting clothing, shoes or water; the organization obtains trailer loads of these items from donors.

Please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/hurricane or make a $10 donation by texting “HAITI” to 25383.

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.

Marlins hit a homerun in their swing to build homes for Haiti

The Florida Marlins scored big when it came to helping the people of Haiti. The Marlins teamed up with Food For The Poor to raise funds and awareness following the Jan. 12 earthquake.

The goal of the “Homes for Haiti” fundraising campaign was to build much-needed housing in a nation where more than 1 million people have been displaced. Thanks to this collaborative effort between the baseball team and the charity the “Village of Inspiration” will soon be built.

“I could not be prouder of what the Marlins and Food For The Poor have achieved. This village is aptly named. Anyone setting foot in the country will be inspired by the will of the people and the spirit of philanthropy that has driven this project. My season was shortened by injury, but aiding the Marlins and Food For The Poor in this process has resulted in my most productive season as a Major League Baseball player. March can't come soon enough. I can't wait go back to Haiti and be inspired again,” stated Florida Marlins Catcher, John Baker.

Baker, along with members of the Marlins’ front office and Kim Bacardi, traveled to Haiti on July 6 and 7 to see firsthand the destitute living conditions of families in Port-au-Prince, as well as in Cap-Haitien, where some of those fleeing the capital have moved.

“This is truly a blessing for the people of Haiti, and we are extremely grateful to the Florida Marlins for partnering with us to help build homes in order to provide as many people as we can with adequate housing,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “We understand that this is an ongoing task and that the tent cities are filled with thousands now homeless because of that devastating earthquake, but because of their generosity more than two dozen families will soon have a home of their own.”

Ground breaking for the “Village of Inspiration” will take place in an area just outside of Port-au-Prince where 25 two-room homes will be built. A community center also will be erected in the village thanks to donations generated by events local philanthropist Kim Bacardi has hosted. In addition to the two-room homes, Food For The Poor will install sanitation and water projects in the village.

On Friday, Nov. 5, Bacardi, founder of The Good Karma Group, has organized an event at Saks Fifth Avenue at Dadeland Mall with proceeds to aid in the construction of a community center in the Marlins’ “Village of Inspiration.” The event offers a 15 percent shoppers discount on select items for the day; coupons are available at the store’s registers. Five percent of sales generated will be donated to Food For The Poor. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Erwin Creed, heir to the CREED fragrance Dynasty, will be present. During the 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. cocktail reception, Food For The Poor will honor the Marlins’ completion of the “Homes For Haiti” campaign. 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson and Marlins’ first baseman Gaby Sanchez, will receive the honor on behalf of the Marlins organization.

Come celebrate fashion and shop for a great cause. Enjoy music by celebrity DJ Maximus 300, while mingling with baseball legends and enjoying light bites catered by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and sweets donated by Cupcakes by Hilda. As a tribute to the Marlins generosity, celebrity designer Gustavo Cadile has created a Marlin blue gown for Bacardi to wear at the event. Winston Delawar Photography will document the occasion.

The campaign with the Marlins may have ended, but it’s never too late to support building homes in Haiti, go to the Homes For Haiti Web page.

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.

Teen helping heal Haiti one bracelet at a time

You see them everywhere: rubber bracelets with words of empowerment, encouragement or even motivation written on them; so it didn’t take long for a South Florida teen to take hold of the idea for his own special project.

Seventeen-year-old Dylan d’Adesky, a senior at Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Fla. decided to do more than talk about the earthquake that shook Haiti to its core on Jan. 12. He decided to start a nonprofit, “Help Heal Haiti.”

“I’ve seen the poverty in Haiti firsthand before the earthquake,” said d’Adesky. “After the earthquake I had to help, I had to do something.”

A few weeks after the disaster; with the backing of his parents, three siblings and a network of extended family and friends, the teen began selling “Hope For Haiti” rubber bracelets for $1 and T-shirts for $5. Many who purchased the items would donate additional funds to support Dylan’s cause.

In the end, the teen raised enough money to support two organizations of his choice, one being Food For The Poor and presented the charity’s CEO/President, Robin Mahfood with a $1,000 check at the charity’s headquarters in Coconut Creek.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to see young people get involved and actually do something like this to help those in need. Dylan’s gift means so much to us here at Food For The Poor and is very much appreciated,” said Mahfood.

Dylan says Haiti has a special place in his heart; his father is Haitian-American, born in Miami, Florida, to parents who were both born in Port-au-Prince. He says he dreams to one day see Haiti become the paradise it has the potential to be.
“I am trying really hard, and in my heart I really want to help Haiti and make a difference there,” said d’Adesky.

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.