Orlando residents to present findings from Haiti at annual gala

Residents from the Orlando area are committed to rescuing Haitian families who call garbage-filled swamps “home.” Central Florida residents interested in Haiti’s rebuilding process are encouraged to attend Food For The Poor’s 12th annual fundraising event, A Celebration of Hope, Nov. 12, at Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa. Proceeds from the annual Orlando gala have built homes for more than 586 families.

“The impact of sheltering just one poor family reverberates from the heart of that family directly to the heart of God,” said Lynne Nasrallah. “I never tire of seeing a rusty tin shack being replaced by a sturdy Food For The Poor home. I have witnessed many fathers’ hands trembling with emotion and many mothers’ tears streaming from their eyes as they are given keys to their new front door. This scene is ‘a celebration of hope’ – a hope that tells the poor that God has indeed remembered His People.”

The evening will include live music, a silent auction, house rally, dancing, and a memorable dinner with friends. Bidding on silent auction prizes offers opportunities for guests to shop and donate to the cause at the same time. Prizes include exclusive art and collectibles from the Caribbean and Latin America, designer jewelry, vacations, golf and dining packages.

Event proceeds will be used to construct critically needed homes and water projects in Haiti. Last year’s event raised enough funds to build 42 two-room Food For The Poor homes in Haiti.

For additional information regarding A Celebration of Hope event, sponsorship levels, and tickets, available at $150 per person, please call 1-888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/orlando.

A Celebration of Hope event sponsor, Winter Park Construction and their staff, will build a prefabricated, 12-by-12 foot house in the ballroom, to afford guests the opportunity to appreciate the significance a modest house makes in the lives of the truly destitute. For $6,400, Food For The Poor can build a safe, permanent two-room house with access to water and sanitation. A certificate of appreciate will be mailed to donors along with a photo of the house and housing recipients.

Committee members include: Anibal & Maritza Beltran, Linda Bonnewitz, The del Campo Family, Janice Chong, Cynthia Hawkins, Jackie Heaps, Dr. Aida Jimenez and Isabel Jimenez, Kathy Kinchla, Donna Larson, Tom Murphy, Paul Mylod, Desirae Nasrallah, Nicole Nasrallah, Robin Neel, Nancy Padilla, Lisa Padilla, Patricia Perfito, Amira Rivera, Diane Rogers, Roseline and Pelfrine Saint-Fort, The Santana Family, Marie Schwarz, Kelly Wilkes, Jean and Donna Wilson, and Holly Wilson.

In September, two Orlando residents traveled to Haiti on a Food For The Poor mission trip to witness first hand the conditions of the people and to see how the nonprofit continues to improve lives and living conditions throughout the country. The visitors traveled through swamps, blessed Emmanuel Village V, visited a home for handicapped children and the neonatal unit at Bernard Mevs Hospital, and learned how sustainable initiatives empower villages and increase in-country production of food. These initiatives include tilapia ponds, chicken rearing and animal husbandry projects.

“As pilgrims with Food For The Poor, we begin to personally understand the command: Love one another,” said Nasrallah. “We show our love by the way we look into the eyes of the poor, or by the way we greet them or by the way we clasp their hand. This love lends value to our action.”

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

Atlanta residents rally to build a village in Jamaica

Philanthropic residents and sponsors unite to host the fourth annual Atlanta Food For The Poor event, Dreams Across the Sea this Saturday, at The Westin Buckhead Hotel. Proceeds from this year’s event will build a self-sustaining community in McCooks Pen, St. Catherine, Jamaica.

"It's a delight to partner with Food For The Poor in this event for Jamaica, as we bring focus to reducing poverty and creating possibilities for the poor and disadvantaged,” said committee member Garvin Stewart. “Through our obedience to the teachings of Christ their needs will be met, they will be overwhelmed with joy, and they will express their thanks and praise to God."

The McCooks Pen Community Development project will fund the cost of 25 two-room permanent homes with access to clean water and sanitation for destitute residents who currently live in dilapidated shacks made of corrugated zinc with dirt floors. The entire community will benefit from the community center and the agriculture and animal husbandry projects. These projects will provide villagers with a subsidiary income and much needed nutrition.

“The reason I am involved with this event is multifaceted,” said co-chairperson Sylvia McClure. “I truly believe in the work that Food For The Poor is doing and the impact that it has on so many families. Furthermore, I was really impressed with how quickly the project last year was completed with the accountability of all funds.”

The evening will include live entertainment, a silent auction, dancing, and a memorable dinner with friends. Bidding on silent auction prizes such as exclusive art and collectibles from the Caribbean and Latin America, designer jewelry, vacations, golf and dining packages offer opportunities for guests to shop and donate to the cause.

For additional information regarding the Dreams Across the Sea event, sponsorship levels, and tickets, available at $125 per person, please call, 1-888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/atlanta.

Masters of ceremonies, Atlanta’s 104.7 The FISH morning team hosts Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott, have traveled with Food For The Poor on mission trips to Jamaica and Haiti. At the event they will share a few of their personal travel experiences, and introduce a documentary that was recently filmed in one of the poorest parts of Jamaica, McCooks Pen.

In the video Pastor Keith Pitt says, “I believe once you get people empowered, they will be able to help others.”

Dreams Across the Sea Co-Chairpersons are Sylvia McClure and Dr. Jason Regis. Additional committee members include Kathy Murphy, Carolyn Shadeed, Nawal Shadeed, Arlene Smith, Garvin Steward, and Michelle Wattley. Event sponsors are AT&T and Toca Enterprises, Ltd.

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

Food For The Poor rises to #1 ranking

Food For The Poor has risen again to the number one spot as the largest international relief and development organization in the United States, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of the top 400 charities. The charity last received the number one international ranking in 2008.

The Christian ministry, which works to end the suffering of the poor across Latin America and the Caribbean, ranked sixth overall of the 400 charities in the United States that raise the most from private sources. Food For The Poor’s rankings can be attributed to faithful donors and the charity’s consistently high efficiency ratio. In 2010, more than 96 percent of all donations went directly to programs that helped the poor.

“In February 2012, Food For The Poor will celebrate its 30th anniversary. To be able to say that we now are the largest international charity in the United States, is an additional blessing,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “So many lives have been touched, so many people depend on Food For The Poor for their livelihood, but most importantly, this is God’s work. Our donors are working with us in His vineyard and with God in our lives and our work, we will never fail and all good things will be possible.”

Compassionate donors and maximum efficiency through low administrative and fundraising costs has enabled Food For The Poor to sustain excellent ratings and broaden its service to the poor through providing life-transforming homes, education and sustainable projects such as fish ponds and animal husbandry.

Since inception, the charity has built more than 76,000 homes. In Haiti alone, Food For The Poor has built more than 2,400 homes since the January 2010 earthquake.

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.

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

Contact:
Kathy Skipper
Food For The Poor
Public Relations Director
954-427-2222 x 6614
kathys@foodforthepoor.com

Four Central American countries suffer devastating effects of storm

Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador are faced with the prospect of hundreds of dead and thousands homeless, after a relentless 10-day tropical depression flooded out bridges, roads and homes. Those killed include 32 in El Salvador, 29 in Guatemala, 13 in Honduras and eight in Nicaragua, according to local officials in a Tuesday report.

In El Salvador alone, the toll is extreme. Fr. David Blanchard, who has served as a missionary in El Salvador since the late 1980s, provided this report today to Food For The Poor:

“Twelve bridges have been destroyed, isolating much of the country from the capital, ports and airport. Six provinces are completely isolated from the rest of the country. In San Salvador, 10,000 people are now in organized shelters. Across the country, there are an additional 5,000 in shelters, although many more have sought refuge with families and neighbors. The total number of internally displaced persons is estimated at 100,000.”

Food For The Poor is rushing containers of water and hygiene supplies to help, but also needs the help of the public. There is an urgent need for canned meat, canned fish, canned milk, and canned beans. Tarps also are needed. Please take these items to Food For The Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL. Donations will be accepted starting Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 9 a.m. Cash donations also may be made by calling 1-800-427-9104, and referring to source code 082580.

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:
Kathy Skipper
Food For The Poor
Public Relations Director
954-427-2222 x 6614
kathys@foodforthepoor.com

Christmas gifts that renew hearts

During this holy season, when commercialism sometimes can obscure the true meaning of Christmas, consider giving a gift from the heart that friends and loved ones will cherish.

The creative gift ideas in Food For The Poor’s Gift Catalog will continue to change lives long after Christmas has passed. Delight your loved ones with a thoughtful gift given in his or her honor to the poor. For $36, you can give the gift of life by feeding a malnourished child for a year. Or you can choose to give farm animals such as chickens, pigs, goats, donkeys and cows to provide an income and source of nutrition for destitute families.

“Christmas is the perfect time to bless the ones you love by giving in their honor a life-changing gift to those who struggle daily to survive,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “These heartfelt gifts restore the destitute’s ability to dream, epitomize the spirit of giving and fit any budget.”

Food For The Poor’s house-building program constructs safe and sturdy permanent housing for the destitute in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica and Nicaragua. Families, companies or groups of employees can jointly fund the cost of $3,200 for a one-room home with sanitation. The family who is moved out of a leaking, dilapidated shack into a real home this Christmas will be forever grateful.

Food For The Poor also remains committed to investing in water projects, building villages, and schools and providing micro-enterprise opportunities for poor villages.

This year, Food For The Poor has created a special rhyme to emphasize how gifts from the catalog save lives, transform communities and renew hope. To see our gifts in action please view our "Gift Giving Poem" video.

All gifts are tax-deductible. To send a gift, the catalog can be accessed through the charity’s secure website at www.FoodForThePoor.org/giftcatalog, or a printed version of the catalog is available by calling 800-427-9104.

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 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

Food For The Poor awarded USDA program funding for Nicaragua

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded Food For The Poor 4,690 metric tons of food for children in Nicaragua over the next three years. The goal is to improve the education, nutrition, and health conditions of school-aged children in under-served communities in Nicaragua. During a three year period, approximately 275 containers of food will be distributed in the country’s most impoverished communities.

The World Food Program identifies Nicaragua as the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, behind only Haiti in terms of per capita income and the market value of all goods and services produced in the country. Low literacy rates, high dropout numbers, and poor academic performance are direct measurable consequences of widespread food insecurity, where low-income households often rely on children to increase the family’s income and in some cases, assist with subsistence farming.

“For some of the students who live in extreme poverty, this USDA program may give them the opportunity to taste milk for the first time,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “Malnutrition denies many children the opportunity to live life to their fullest potential. More than half of these families in rural areas live on less than $2 a day.”

Approximately 260 schools will participate in the USDA Food For Education program in Nicaragua. Plans call for 70,000 preschool to primary school-age children in northern and central Nicaragua to benefit from this feeding program. From 2011 to 2014, more than 37 million meals will be provided to students. The children will receive nutritional meals prepared from nonfat dried milk, red kidney beans, rice, textured soy protein, and vegetable oil.

The majority of beneficiaries are located in Estelí, Matagalpa, Jinotega, Nueva Segovia and Madriz. According to recent regional poverty assessments, nearly one-third of the population lives in extreme poverty. Chronic malnutrition and food deficits affect 50 percent of school-aged children and literacy levels fall below national averages – only three out of every 10 will finish high school.

Students will receive a morning snack and a hot meal for lunch each day. In addition, this program will fund the installation of 120 latrines, repairs to school kitchens, establish school gardens, and provide multi-disciplinary training for parents and teachers.

Food For The Poor has assisted Nicaragua since 1997. The American Nicaraguan Foundation has been a partner of Food For The Poor for 14 years, and during 2010 Food For The Poor shipped 343 containers of aid valued at more than $114.5 million to the country.

Food For The Poor was previously awarded a USDA Food For Education program in 2005 to benefit 65,000 school children in Nicaragua. Over the years, Food For The Poor has received additional funding from the USDA to support programs in Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Trinidad.

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 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

Caribbean-themed event opens hearts and doors for Haiti

The 10-year involvement and steadfast support from northern Illinois residents ensured The Hope for Haitians Committee and Food For The Poor’s fundraising event, An Evening in the Tropics, was a well-attended event with more than 320 guests.

Residents from the Rockford/Chicago communities showed their commitment to Haiti by funding the final phase of construction for the Hope Friendship Village in Chastenoye, Haiti, and the first phase of a self-sustaining village in Mazere, Haiti. Donors also provided school sponsorships for 200 children from the Rockford Friendship Village and the Hope Friendship Village.

Rhythmic sounds of a steel drummer started the Caribbean-themed event’s cocktail reception and exclusive silent auction. Bidding on auction prizes offered opportunities for guests to donate to the cause at the same time. Prizes included art and collectibles from the Caribbean and Latin America, designer jewelry, luxury vacations, and golf and dining packages. An Evening in the Tropics offered a full night of exceptional dining, dancing and inspirational moments.

During the cocktail reception, guests for the first time had an opportunity to walk inside a pre-fabricated structure that portrays a 12-by-12-foot yellow Food For The Poor house. For $3,200, Food For The Poor can build a single-unit home with sanitation to replace a crumbling shack that leaks when it rains. The simple structure had a tremendous impact on the guests. Since 1982, Food For The Poor has constructed more than 76,013 new housing units with concrete foundations, locking doors, windows, and zinc roofs with hurricane straps in the countries it serves.

The event co-chairpersons and committee members devised a unique way to inspire attendees to contribute toward making a difference in the lives of others. For a $25 donation, more than 100 guests purchased a starfish for the chance to win either a Tiffany gold and silver cross necklace or a men’s Polo watch.

Five-year-old Riley Kegley’s fundraising campaign started even earlier. In July, to prepare for his birthday, he decided to donate his birthday savings to benefit the people of Haiti. With the help of his mom, who is a committee member, Riley created a YouTube video to share his birthday goal with family and friends. To his surprise he not only raised enough money to buy a cow – he raised enough money to buy two cows and three goats.

The master of ceremonies for this year’s event was veteran broadcast journalist Mike Robinson. Co-chairmen Tom Lorden, Pat Bachrodt and Peter Roche and members of the surrounding communities have traveled multiple times to Haiti to meet the people who directly benefit from this annual event’s proceeds.

Event committee members included Joseph Altenhoff, Patrick Bachrodt, Rev. David Beauvais, Virginia Canavan, William Clancy, Michael Delany, Brian & Missy Hand, Frank Haney, Msgr. Robert Hoffman, Theresa Kegley, Danny Lorden, Tom & Nancy Lorden, Bob McLaughlin, Philip Nicolosi, Patti Rangel, Peter Roche, Andy Schultheis and Jerry Weber.

An Evening in the Tropics sponsors included: AAA Quality Limo, Aurora Central Catholic, Bachrodt Motors on State, Dick & Marg Bachrodt, Lou Bachrodt Auto Group, Lou Bachrodt Foundation, Barrick Switzer Long Balsley & Van Evera, Ralph J. Baudhuin Foundation, Boylan Catholic High School, William & Catherine Clancy, Comerica Bank, Mike & Donna Cristoforo, Crowe Horwath, LLP, Mike & Colleen Delany, Diamond Envelope, Tony & Jean Domino, Focus Financial Advisors Inc., Joe Geraghty, Giovanni's Restaurant, Brian & Missy Hand and Family, Joe Hansberry – NAPA, Holy Family Church, Kelley Williamson Company, Thomas & Lesley Killoren, Jeffrey & Sally Krogh, Lorden Charitable Foundation, Robert and Mary Lou McLaughlin, Rebecca Newton, Nicolosi & Associates, OSF St. Anthony Medical Center, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Rhonda & RC Pottinger, Resource Dealer Group, Inc, Risch Family Foundation, Riverside Community Bank, Peter & Sandy Roche Family, Savant Capital Management, Fern Shore, St. James Catholic Church, St. John Neumann Church, St. Katherine Drexel, St. Thomas More, Warner Specialized Petroleum Services, and WIPFLi HEWINS.

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 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

Tom Lorden
Event Co-Chairman
815-964-1904
tomlorden@hotmail.com>

Houses providing jobs, shelter, hope

The first phase of a major home-building project on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince is almost complete, just two months after construction started on 100 houses. Food For The Poor, the Inter-American Development Bank, and Fonds d' Assistance Économique et Social committed to building the homes on land donated by the Haitian government.

The Inter-American Development Bank funded the site development in Orangers and half of the cost of every home, while the other half is being matched by caring donors of Food For The Poor. Eighty-six of the 100 homes in the initial phase have been completed, a feat that reinforces the charity’s capacity and efficiency in the rebuilding of Haiti.

More than 2,400 homes have been built by the charity in Haiti since the January 2010 earthquake. While 1.3 million people were initially left homeless by the earthquake, about 600,000 are still without shelter, according to the United Nations’ shelter committee. Getting the people out of the makeshift tents pitched in the city’s parks, plazas and public places is a challenge because most have no place to go.

“The people who will live in these homes are among the poorest of the displaced people directly affected by the earthquake, and living in tents and other makeshift shelters around the city,” said Alvaro Pereira, Executive Vice President of Food For The Poor. “This development is not only providing the dignity and safety of homes, but also offering hope through jobs.”

Meaningful change in Haiti will come through self-sustaining programs, allowing Haitians to take the reins of their own future by providing jobs that will help support the country’s people and local economy. That kind of economic impact is evident in the Orangers project. More than 75 people who are heads of households are building the homes, directly impacting the economic wellbeing of almost 300 people. Another 140 or so are benefitting from selling supplies, foods and other commodities in the local markets.

“Since the quake, we have escalated our homebuilding in Haiti,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “It is heartbreaking to see the conditions in which people are living, and it is dangerous to their health and safety. By working together with IDB and our loyal and generous donors, we have been able to get some of the displaced out of the tent cities. There are so many more that urgently need our help.”

There are other signs of progress in Port-au-Prince. Food For The Poor celebrated the opening of the Jean-Marie Gilloux School on Wednesday. The two-level building is near the ruins of the famed Notre Dame d’Haiti Cathedral.

Three more schools are also being constructed, and each school is being built with earthquake resistant materials. More than 3,400 students will benefit from the construction of the four new schools.

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 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.

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