U.S. Disaster Relief

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (March 24, 2014) – Longtime charity partners Food For The Poor and Matthew 25: Ministries are launching an initiative to jointly respond to selected disasters in the United States. To kick off this new aspect of the relationship, the M25M Disaster Response Fleet arrived at FFP headquarters early today and a team from both organizations pre-positioned supplies at a South Florida church and an outreach center later in the afternoon.

Matthew 25: Ministries, an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, responds to disaster situations that are so catastrophic or comprehensive in nature that coping with the aftermath is beyond the capabilities of the community or the surrounding areas. Matthew 25: Ministries provides critical necessities to distribution partners in disaster areas including tarps, blankets, nonperishable food, water, personal care products, baby supplies, medical supplies and cleaning products to support relief and recovery efforts.

While Food For The Poor’s mission is primarily to serve internationally, the charity has responded in the past to catastrophic disasters in the United States, including Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 in New York, and to meet basic needs for local relief agencies.

“Working with Matthew 25 to respond to disasters in the United States will help us better fulfill our mission to serve and comfort those who are in desperate need,” said Robin Mahfood, CEO/President of Food For The Poor. “Our core work remains in developing countries where there are no safety nets, but this will allow us to serve our brothers and sisters in this country who are hurting.”

Matthew 25’s entire disaster relief fleet of trucks, trailers and specialty vehicles can be deployed within 24 hours of a catastrophic event. Recently, Matthew 25’s disaster relief fleet has responded to Superstorm Sandy, Oklahoma and Illinois tornadoes, flooding in Colorado, and the chemical spill in West Virginia. One of the relief units purifies water and can make 12,000 pounds of ice a day.

"Matthew 25: Ministries is excited about this new phase of our partnership with Food For The Poor. Food For The Poor's extensive network of contacts throughout the United States is the perfect complement to Matthew 25: Ministries' efficient, effective capabilities for catastrophic disaster relief. This extension of our current partnership will help many more people in need when they need it most," said Tim Mettey, CEO and Disaster Relief Coordinator for Matthew:25 Ministries.

A 20-foot container filled with personal care kits, toilet paper, paper towels, blankets and first-aid supplies were distributed Monday afternoon at a Catholic church and at Hope Outreach Center in Broward County. More supplies will be delivered later to three agencies in Palm Beach County  -- The Lord’s Place, Center for Family Services and St. Ann’s.

Matthew 25: Ministries rescues, repurposes and reuses approximately 14,000,000 pounds of excess corporate products each year and redistributes them to people in desperate need throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Each year, Matthew 25: Ministries impacts the lives of more than 15,000,000 individuals in the United States and around the world. More than 99% of Matthew 25: Ministries’ cash and in-kind donations go toward programs. Matthew 25 is top-ranked on Forbes' list of the Most Efficient Large Charities in the US and holds a four-star ranking from Charity Navigator. Matthew 25: Ministries appears in The "Philanthropy 400" listing of America's Top Charities and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau through the "Wise Giving Alliance Standards.” For more information, visit www.m25m.org.

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, visit www.foodforthepoor.org.