Miami Marlins player Bonifacio brightens boys’ home

Orphans at the Hogar Escuela Santo Domingo Savio in the Dominican Republic received an early Christmas gift when Miami Marlins player Emilio Bonifacio surprised them on Dec. 14. The 120 boys at the orphanage sponsored by Food For The Poor enjoyed a meal with the baseball star and hometown hero, who later gave each of them T-shirts with the team’s new logo.

“It was an honor to be there at the orphanage and spend time with the kids. I take pride in helping them any which way I can,” Bonifacio said. “Growing up close to that orphanage, I’m proud to have the opportunity to give back to the community I call home.”

The home participates in Food For The Poor’s Angels of Hope child sponsorship program and receives donated items from the international relief and development ministry. The charity recently completed a water project for the home and renovated the kitchen.

The boys who live at the home did not know about Bonifacio’s visit and the lunchroom erupted in cheers when he walked through the doors. One of the boys jumped up and ran to him to give him a big hug.

Many of the boys were wearing orange bands with Bible verses they had received as merit awards. “One of the boys went up to give him one, and before you know it, he had 10 of them on one arm,” said Edward Young, Food For The Poor Country Manager for the D.R. “They even matched the color of the orange in the new uniforms. They wanted to give him something, too.”

Bonifacio distributed T-shirts with the new Miami Marlins logo, and was surprised with an extemporaneous thank you from an 11-year-old who was moved to show his appreciation.

Boys come to the home for a variety of reasons. Some are orphaned; while many have families who are not able to adequately care for them by providing for their basic needs or an education. In some cases, the boys have suffered abuse or mistreatment before finding care and comfort in the home.

“Having Emilio Bonifacio surprise the boys with a visit is a wonderful gift for these young men,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “Through his presence, they know that someone cares enough to spend precious time with them. It’s a reminder that they are loved, that they have a future, and that they can dream. We are so grateful to him.”

In December 2010, Bonifacio joined Food For The Poor in a distribution of more than 2,000 mitts, bats, balls, helmets, catcher’s gear, cleats and uniforms to D.R. baseball leagues for orphans. A similar event is planned for late January 2012.

Food For The Poor and the Miami Marlins also have worked together to raise awareness of the need in Haiti, and representatives of the two groups traveled together in May to celebrate the opening of a village in Malfety. Donations to the Homes for Haiti campaign led to the construction of Inspiration Village, which consists of 41 two-room houses with personal sanitation units. The community has a water well, a solar powered water purification unit, and a community center to offer the opportunity for further education, including vocational skills and training in agriculture and animal husbandry. These services will help the farmers achieve better results, and enable them to support their families and make the community sustainable.

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

Food For The Poor organizes prisoner releases nonviolent offenders freed in Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and Honduras

In anticipation of Christmas, Food For The Poor released prisoners who have committed nonviolent offenses in Jamaica (22), Guyana (25), Haiti (36) and Honduras (2). They were incarcerated due to their inability to pay required fines. Eighty-five prisoners have been released in these countries in time to spend Christmas with their families.

“When you visit a prison, desperate eyes peer out of the dark cells, into the light, pleading silently for help,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s CEO/President. “They want to feel a connection with the outside world, to be a brother in Christ, to be prayed for – and to not be forgotten.”

In developing countries, the destitute sometimes have no way to feed their families other than to steal food. The consequence often is imprisonment without first appearing before a judge, or receiving a prison sentence. Sometimes, by the time they are tried, they have spent years longer in jail than their prison sentence requires.

Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program is based on the scripture, “When was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you,” (Matthew 25: 31-46).

Mahfood visited a prison in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, this year with 17 priests and pastors. Together they prayed for the inmates, who live in decrepit buildings and are at the mercy of disease outbreaks, such as cholera. Prison cells measuring 16-by-16 feet sometimes hold more than 30 men.

Since the inception of Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program in 2000, more than 1,048 prisoners have been reintroduced back into the community as productive citizens. Food For The Poor works with the prisoners before and after they are released to ensure they will not be repeat offenders.

“Behave yourself, because in there [it is] rough,” said a 34-year-old former Jamaican inmate, when asked if he had any advice for youngsters outside of the penal institutions. “I appreciate the help from Food For The Poor,” he continued, “because my mother had been helping to take care of my children while I was in there, but they are my responsibility and I just wanted to come out and be a father to them.”

This year in Jamaica, a total of 22 inmates were released from prisons in Mandeville, Spanish Town and St. Catherine.

“All of us deserve a second chance and we have given these men and women that opportunity,” said Sandra Ramsay, administrator of the prison ministry at Food For The Poor-Jamaica.

Twice a year – during the Christmas and Easter seasons – the Food For The Poor Prison Ministry Program releases inmates who have committed minor offenses. Prison authorities have found Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program to be so successful that they have implemented a similar program themselves. Some prisons now offer inmates jobs in the prison where they are held so that they can earn money to pay off their fines.

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.

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

Wisconsin helping Haiti one child, one family at a time

Thanks to Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. and caring volunteers, more than 250,000 meals are ready to be shipped to Haiti to feed children in Food For The Poor’s feeding programs. Hundreds of volunteers filled the Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the State Fair Park in Milwaukee, for the four-day event in October to pack 18 pallets of nutritious food.

“The packers came from all walks of life, from the very young to the elderly. We had classrooms of kids and more than 60 kids from a local Islamic high school. We even had a church group bring 80 children from an after-school program,” said Karl Ralian, Founder and President of Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. “Most interesting of all, we had 15 people from a wedding party who came to pack food. I was completely blown away by this heartwarming testimonial to people's goodness.”

Each participant’s $20 fee was used to purchase dehydrated foods for the meal packs, which will provide nutritious food without the fear of spoiling and will prevent waterborne illness because boiling water is needed to rehydrate the meals.

In addition to the 250,000 meals, Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. has committed to building a village in Haiti through Food For The Poor’s “Next Step Challenge” campaign. The village will be constructed in Grand Boulage, which is nestled in the mountains between the Center and West Departments of Haiti, and is approximately an hour and a half drive from Port-au-Prince. More than 30,000 people live in this farming community.

After the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, the situation in Grand Boulage quickly worsened. Many were forced to abandon what was left of their homes to pitch tents in the mountains. Nearly two years later, many of Grand Boulage’s residents are still sleeping unprotected in the open. The closest water source is located in a town called Despinos, some five miles away from where many in the community call home.

Because of the dire need in Grand Boulage, Food For The Poor and Worldwide Hunger Relief, Inc. are committed to providing the residents there with much-needed housing. You can learn how to create your own fundraising page for this project or make secure online donations at www.FoodForThePoor.org/challenge.

“We want to thank all who are involved in this event, for keeping the needs of the people in Haiti in mind and for helping us to feed the hungry, especially the children,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “Because of all your hard work, soon thousands in the community of Grand Boulage will have sturdy houses, fruit trees, and farm animals. This will provide the people with the greatest of opportunities to become a self-sustaining community.”

To learn more about future food packing events please click on WorldwideHungerRelief.org for complete details.

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:
Wanda Wright
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com

WLRN raises funds to feed more than 600 children in Haiti

Thanks to the generosity of Friends of WLRN and 91.3 WLRN’s radio listeners, the South Florida public radio station raised enough money to feed more than 600 children in Haiti for six months. For the second time this year, this much-needed assistance has come during a time when soaring food and fuel prices are putting a strain on nonprofits.

“Words cannot express the gratitude Food For The Poor has for the Friends of WLRN and 91.3 WLRN for helping us to provide food to feed hundreds of children in Haiti,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “This is a tremendous blessing and many lives will be saved as a result.”

Through the station’s generosity in three previous campaigns, more than 2,000 children were fed through Food For The Poor’s feeding programs. In Haiti, more than half of the population, including two-thirds of the children, suffers from malnutrition. In Haiti, 76 of every 1,000 children die before reaching their fifth birthday.

“Starving children in this world is a tragedy and unfortunately is the harsh reality of thousands of children in Haiti,” said Wagner Previato, Director of Marketing and Membership for Friends of WLRN. “We are thankful to our members in South Florida and humbled for the opportunity to help feed Haitian children through the Food For The Poor program”.

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 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:
Wanda Wright
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com

Three Atlanta attorneys blog as they bring Water-Life-Hope to Haiti

Three attorneys from Atlanta-area communities traveled with the nonprofit Food For The Poor to Haiti, Dec. 5-8, to visit remote communities in desperate need of clean, safe drinking water. During their journey they posted photos and comments on their travel blog at www.waterlifehope.blogspot.com.

Travelers included Edward Buckley (Decatur), Amanda Farahany (Atlanta), and Sheryl McCalla (Avondale Estates).

“In our view, the right to clean drinking water is the most fundamental human right we have,” said Buckley. “The water wells that have already been installed in Haiti have made an extraordinary difference to the people in the communities they serve.”

For eight years, Buckley and his supporters have raised money to drill and install lifesaving water wells throughout Jamaica and Haiti with the assistance of Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the United States. The group has funded the construction of more than 100 artesian wells throughout Haiti. Each well provides an average of 5,000 people access to potable water.

“Water is important to life,” blogged McCalla. “Try going a day without clean water, just one. In Grand Boulage, Haiti the closest water source is 5-miles away. According to the UN the impact of diarrhoeal disease on children is greater than the combined impact of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The provision of improved sanitation and drinking water could reduce diarrhoeal disease by nearly 90 percent.”

When the cholera outbreak was confirmed in Haiti, Buckley donated a water filtration unit to help prevent the spread of the water borne illness. Each water filtration unit has the capacity to purify 10,000 gallons of water a day.

“I thought that it would be worse, but in many ways, it is better,” said Farahany. This was her first trip back to Haiti since the devastating 2010 earthquake.

“There is still great poverty and most don't have access to running water, but there is a lot of progress too,” said Farahany. “There are roads built where there were none before, people have water where there was none before, there are people working and building where there was no real employment before and I see hope for the future of the country there.”

To support their initiative, and provide a village in Haiti with the gift of water, please make checks payable to Food For The Poor and include the special source code “SC# 77518” so your donation may be tracked to the Water-Life-Hope initiative. Donations may be mailed to Food For The Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. All gifts are tax-deductible. Online donations can also be made through the charity’s secure website at www.FoodForThePoor.org/water-haiti.

“I saw communities of people who have taken the helping hand and have lifted themselves up,” blogged Farahany. “What I learned is that we are making a difference. That the people who reached out after the earthquake and gave of themselves and their money - have changed Haiti for the better. And that the people of Haiti are not only grateful, but are taking themselves to a higher place because of it.”

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 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

Radio personalities travel to Haiti with Food For The Poor

On-air personalities from across the country traveled to Haiti this fall with the Christian relief and development organization, Food For The Poor. For many of the travelers, this was their first experience witnessing this level of extreme destitution.

“The bottom line is people, humankind, should not be living in this kind of squalor,” said Big Wave Dave, afternoon host of The Fish 95.9 FM in Los Angeles, while walking through Shada, Haiti. “This is something that we as Americans cannot fathom – the worst parts of the Bronx, the worst part of Southern California and L.A. – pales in comparison.”

In this video, standing along the seawall, Big Wave Dave describes the putrid smell of the rotting garbage in the canal and how the children surrounding him drink, fish, and wash in this water source. In the distance, the dilapidated structures that the children call home are visible.

“Now just imagine what that is doing to their bodies on top of their living conditions,” said Big Wave Dave. “The $12 a month will not only feed a family of four for a month, or $144 for a year, but, get this, Food For The Poor is building new homes to get families out of this mess and into a new environment. If you want to talk about boots on the ground, that is the core.”

With more than 600,000 Haitians still living in tent cities, one of Food For The Poor’s biggest priorities in the country is building homes. Almost 17,000 homes have been constructed by the charity in Haiti – 2,600 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.

“With your help we have made a difference here without my feet being on the ground,” said Tim Hartlage, General Manager of 94.7 FM WFIA in Louisville, Ky. in this video shot in Derac, Haiti. “These kids used to live in a house much worse than the house behind me. Across the street here this is what we are doing, this is the hope you are giving these families here, we are helping them.”

Since returning to the air in Louisville, his passionate pleas have stirred listeners to help those starving in Haiti. “Right now our mission is to help feed them,” said Hartlage.

In 2009, when Hartlage traveled to Haiti with Food For The Poor, he said he was overwhelmed to learn Haiti’s destitute children eat “mud cookies” to help quell their hunger pains.

While in Haiti, the group witnessed firsthand the work of Food For The Poor, and met the families featured in the radio campaigns, as well as those who wished to thank radio listeners for their compassion. They distributed food at a Food For The Poor feeding center which provides 15,000 hot meals six days a week. The travelers also visited a Food For The Poor school in Cité Soleíl, where the students receive what might well be their only meal for the day.

“It is unbelievable, it just brings you to tears,” said Melanie Lynn, morning on-air host for PULSE 96.9/92.1 FM from South Bend, Ind., during her first visit to Haiti.

With children seated in her lap and clinging to her in this video, Lynn encourages listeners to partner with Food For The Poor so children might have renewed hope and access to food and safe drinking water.

On-air appeals raise money to house and feed starving families in Haiti.

Additional radio personalities on the trip included Rob Davis, Salem Radio; George Flores, WAWZ (N.Y.); Heather Lloyd, KPRZ (San Diego, Calif.); and Katherine Worthington, KKLA (Los Angeles, Calif.).

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