Tessanne Chin

	Tessanne Chin
Related Item: Reserve Your Gala Table

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 9, 2014) – The winner of Season 5 of NBC’s The Voice, Tessanne Chin, will sing at Food For The Poor’s  Building Hope Gala, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014 at The Polo Club of Boca Raton. Tessanne will perform her new single “Tumbling Down” to encourage attendees to replace poor families’ dilapidated huts in Ganthier, Haiti, with safe, permanent houses.

When asked how winning The Voice in December 2013 has changed her life, Tessanne says she keeps pinching herself.

“Tessanne’s reaction to the news that she won The Voice is similar to the immense joy and disbelief that destitute families experience when they are moved from their crudely built huts into sturdy Food For The Poor homes,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “Food For The Poor would like to thank Tessanne for generously lending her voice to lift families out of extreme poverty. The life-altering difference a new Food For The Poor house makes for families living in deplorable conditions is incredible. When a family expresses their gratitude for their new Food For The Poor house, it is not uncommon for them to refer to it as their piece of heaven.”

Building Hope Gala committee members Allison Venditti and Kara Seelye journeyed to the desert-like community of Ganthier with Food For The Poor in October to see firsthand the remote community’s needs. Both Boca residents were appalled by the residents’ living conditions. The barefoot children that emerged from the crudely built huts were covered in dust and malnourished.

“It is the worst situation I have seen,” said Venditti, a Building Hope Gala committee member. “The houses are made of little sticks and mud, with thatched roofs. These families are just trying to survive.”

Tickets to the Caribbean Carnival-themed Building Hope Gala are available at $250 per person. Please call 954-427-2222, ext. 6634 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/boca for additional information and sponsorship opportunities.

Jason Martinez, co-anchor for WPLG-TV ABC Local 10 Morning News and Local 10 News at Noon, will serve as the gala’s master of ceremonies for a second consecutive year. The evening also features an extensive silent auction, cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, and dancing. Bidding on silent auction prizes such as electronics, jewelry, vacations, golf and dining packages will offer guests opportunities to support the cause.

This year’s committee and Gregory Fried, owner of Gregory’s Fine Jewelry in Delray Beach, have devised a unique way to inspire gala attendees to contribute toward making a difference in the lives of others. For a donation at the event, guests will enter for the chance to win a stunning piece of jewelry donated by Gregory’s Fine Jewelry. The 18-karat white gold diamond earrings weigh 2.92 carats, and are valued at $6,000.

Jay DiPietro, President/COO/General Manager of Boca West Country Club, will be honored at the gala as the 2014 Ambassador For The Poor.

Committee members include Carlos Bodden, Matthew Bryant, Becky Carlsson, Kim Fox, Ronda Ellis Ged, Susan Krassan, Rene Mahfood, Dan Overbey, Tashia Rahl, Lauren Roberts, Kara Seelye, Deborah Shapiro, Renee Stetler and Allison Venditti.

Gala sponsors include AKA Printing and Mailing, Akoya at Boca West, Boca West Country Club, Dennis Charley & Associates, Inc., Dusco Doors, Ellis, Ged & Bodden, PA, Gregory’s Fine Jewelry, Miller Construction Company, Quadriga Art, LLC, Seaboard Marine, ShowTurf, The Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, TD Bank, United Healthcare, VITAS Innovative Hospice Care, The Wallace Family, Workaway International and The Boca Raton Observer.

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.

Do Much Good

	Founders of the "Do Much Good” coalition (l to r) Steve Deace, Stephen Baldwin, Dani Johnson and Kevin McCullough, traveled to Haiti with Food For The Poor’s Radio Marketing department.
Related Items: See More Photos on Facebook Help Families in Kadwa

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 9, 2014) – Hundreds of Haiti’s students, attending three schools located in Leogane, Tabarre, and Croix des Bouquets, now have access to clean, life-saving water. Thanks to the kindness of the “Do Much Good” coalition who partnered with Food For The Poor, a water filtration unit has been installed in each school.
 
“Food For The Poor takes a holistic approach with all of its projects. When water quality testing revealed that the water supply in these schools was not safe for the children to drink, immediate action was taken,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “Thanks to the magnanimity of the “Do Much Good” coalition and the support of Water Missions International, three solar-powered water filtration units have been installed, and each unit can purify and chlorinate up to 10,000 gallons of water per day.”

In mid-December, the founders of the “Do Much Good” coalition traveled to Haiti with Food For The Poor’s Radio Marketing department. They are: Stephen Baldwin, actor and public speaker; Kevin McCullough, nationally syndicated talk show host and author; Dani Johnson, ABC Television’s “Secret Millionaire” and financial marketing expert; Steve Deace, nationally syndicated talk show host.

“Do Much Good” supports individuals and ministries around the world that provide food, water, shelter, medical aid, education and teach life skills to people in need. While in Haiti, the members saw for themselves the impact their gift of clean water is making in the lives of students and staff. When they visited the Complexe Educatif Jesus Bon Pasteur School in Croix-des-Bouquets, they were greeted by an assembly of 3- to 12-year-olds, waving banners and singing songs of jubilation for their much needed water filtration unit.

“This water project is beyond your wildest imagination and the impact it’s having here humbles me,” said, Stephen Baldwin. “It’s a blessing and a privilege to be a part of this project.”

“Last year our listeners helped us to bring life-saving drinking water to these children, and your gift made this all possible. This is what this is all about,” said Kevin McCullough.

Potable water can be the difference between life and death, yet thousands of Haitians are using polluted water collected from lakes and streams for their daily needs. Usually, it is the women and young girls who are forced to walk several miles a day to obtain this water for their families, water that is often contaminated with life-threatening bacteria and parasites.

Because there is a desperate need for clean water throughout the country, the water filtration unit installed in each school is being used as a water source for the surrounding communities as well. Nearly 6,000 people living near the Reap de Morel School in Leogane and the John Branchizio School in Tabarre now have access to clean drinking water. Each unit can support a community of up to 3,000 people.                                                                  
The lack of clean water wasn’t the only need the coalition members saw while in Haiti. The members also got to see what life is like in the remote rural community of Kadwa in Mirebalais. After speaking with some of the families living in unfathomable conditions, “Do Much Good” wants to do more to help the suffering in Haiti.

“I think when you’re doing good the way Food For The Poor is doing it, what it does is encourage you to want to pay it forward, and what you recognize is God alone is responsible for the giving in you,” said Steve Deace.

Even though many of the people met by the group in Kadwa do not have much materially, one “Do Much Good” member expressed awe and amazement about their rich faith and their hope for the future.

“We can learn some things from the poor, the poor who know God,” said Dani Johnson. “I have witnessed here in Haiti the beautiful praises for God coming out of the mouths of the poor – it’s humbling and it’s beautiful.”

For 13 years, Food For The Poor’s Radio Marketing department has traveled with on-air personalities and radio hosts from across the United States to Jamaica, Haiti and Guatemala. As the radio hosts campaign for funding to help feed and shelter the poor, they also educate their listeners about the poverty that plagues parts of the Caribbean and Latin America.

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.

        

Haiti earthquake

	Christella, 14, who lives in Grand Boulage, Haiti, now has access to clean drinking water that's being pumped from a well provided by Food For The Poor donors. Since the 2010 earthquake, Food For The Poor has installed 71 water filtration units that purify 710,000 gallons of water each day, and drilled 257 water wells. Together, these projects provide a safe water source for more than a million people.
Related Items: See More Photos on Facebook Donate to Rebuilding Effort in Haiti

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 9, 2014) – Making the transition from surviving to living has not been easy for those who endured the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, but it is happening.

Lucienne, 39, and her four children are one of those families. They were forced to live in a tent city after the earthquake destroyed their home, a small business and presumably claimed the life of her husband, who has not been seen since the earthquake. Today, Lucienne and her children have a new life, a new home, and new dreams – thanks to Food For The Poor and its generous donors.

“As the fourth anniversary of the earthquake approaches, and the world remembers the more than 250,000 people killed on that fateful day, it is equally important to remember the survivors,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “With the help of compassionate donors, the lives of thousands are being impacted in a positive way, thanks to Food For The Poor and a number of great organizations that are committed to helping the people of Haiti to rebuild their lives and homeland.”

The international relief and development organization Food For The Poor began working in Haiti in 1986. With nearly 28 years of faithful service within the country, the organization has been able to work efficiently and continuously towards the earthquake recovery effort.

Since the 2010 earthquake, Food For The Poor has:

• Built 4,364 permanent two-room concrete block homes with water and sanitation components.
• Built and restored 30 schools in the Port-au-Prince region.
• Shipped 4,076 containers of gifts in kind and purchased items, including rice/soy meals, medicine, medical supplies, school and dorm furniture, tile, shoes, hygiene items, household items, cleaning supplies, and construction supplies.
• Installed 71 water filtration units that purify 710,000 gallons of clean water each day, and drilled a total of 257 wells.
• Signed an agreement with Haiti’s Fonds d’Assistance Economique et Sociale (Fund for Economic and Social Assistance) to build 1,000 homes in the northern corridor with earthquake and hurricane resistant materials.

An estimated 1.3 million were left homeless after the earthquake in 2010. Even though housing conditions have improved, today there are more than 170,000 Haitians still living under tents in hundreds of camps according to the (IOM) International Organization for Migration. These camps are dehumanizing, dangerous and are a breeding ground for waterborne diseases.

Food For The Poor is committed to building sturdy and secure homes for as many families in need as possible, supplying communities and schools with a clean water source.

Click here to meet some of the people you’ve helped and to continue your ongoing support in the recovery effort. 

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.

        

Boca Grande in Haiti

	In November 2013, Yvette Mede and her three children in Manneville, Haiti received a new two-room house with sanitation and a cistern.
Related Items: See More Photos on Facebook Donate to Boca Grande's Project

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 6, 2014) – A joyful noise is slowly drowning out the sounds of despair that once hovered over the small town of Manneville, Haiti. Located near Thomazeau, in the community of Croix-des-Bouquets, some of its residents who were in desperate need of housing and access to clean drinking water now have secure homes, with a cistern and sanitation. All this is thanks to the commitment of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee and Food For The Poor.

“Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake in 2010 that killed hundreds of thousands of people and left more than a million homeless. During the last four years, the Hope for Haitians Committee has asked the people of Boca Grande to build homes and schools for the Haitian people to help get them back on their feet. In each of those four years, the people of Boca Grande reached the charitable goals set, with tremendous generosity,” said Ben Scott, Chairman of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee.  

Some of those goals include the following:

• 135 Houses with Sanitation and Water Cisterns
• 2,850 Fruit Trees
• 2 Water Treatment Units
• 1 Vocational Training Center with Sanitation
• 2 Community Centers
• 1 Basic School with Sanitation
• 6 Solar Powered Street Lamps
• 1 Self-Starting Project for Women

The Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee began working through the international relief and development organization in 2009, shortly before the Caribbean nation was rattled by one of the worst national disasters in its history. The committee wants to continue to help relocate families from tents to permanent housing.

“According to the latest published reports, there are approximately 200,000 people currently living in Haiti’s tent cities. This is a considerable reduction from the initial 1.3 million. But, one family living in a tent is one family too many,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “Words cannot capture the gratitude this organization has for the Boca Grande committee, and community, that’s helping us to transform lives in Haiti, one family at a time.”

One such transformation took place nearly a year ago, during the second week of January, when Hope For Haitians Chairmen Ben and Louise Scott and eight Boca Grande Committee members traveled with Food For The Poor to Haiti. During the three-day trip, they got to meet some of the families and to see the dire need in a section of Manneville. Today, that section of town has been transformed into a thriving community of 33 colorful two-room homes that have brought tremendous joy to the recipients.
The residents want to thank their benefactors for providing them with the priceless gift of self-sufficiency. Click here to read some of the stories shared by these grateful individuals.

“The Boca Grande community has made a huge difference in the lives of so many people in desperate need. But there are still so many who need the basics of life,” said Scott.

Scott will be traveling to Haiti the week of Jan. 13, 2014, with Food For The Poor.

Committee members include: Chairmen Ben and Louise Scott, the Rev. Gary Beatty, the Rev. Brian Brightly, the Rev. Jerome Carosella, the Rev. Michelle Robertshaw, George and Lois Castrucci, Patricia Chapman, Ray and Iliene Corcoran, Randy and Sue Eddy, Charlie and Florita Field, Evelyn Finnegan, Lou and Corie Fusz, Stephen and Susan Jansen, Mick and Susan Johnson, Tom and Nancy Lorden, Colvin and Madelaine McCrady, Peter and Elsa Soderberg.

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.