Salute to Volunteers

Food For The Poor Salutes Donors and Volunteers

	In March, Lin and Lenny Crispinelli traveled to Jamaica with a group of volunteers to build their fifth basic school in honor of their daughter, Stephanie, through Food For The Poor. The Crispinellis have dedicated their efforts to the memory of Stephanie, who was also very active in serving Food For The Poor.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (April 3, 2014) – Food For The Poor thanks all of its dedicated volunteers in observance of National Volunteer Week, April 6-12. Each year, individuals of all ages and backgrounds travel with Food For The Poor to developing countries to lend a hand while others donate time, money, and other resources to fundraising events and specific causes.

“We thank our countless volunteers and donors who, by their exemplary service, attract and inspire others to take action,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “Their contributions remind us daily that each and every one of us is a part of a global village, where just one person can positively impact the lives of many others in very real and meaningful ways.”

Before a March trip to Jamaica, Food For The Poor donors Lin and Lenny Crispinelli helped other volunteers load backpacks with school supplies for elementary students attending schools they have built in Jamaica. Since 2010, the Crispinellis have dedicated their efforts to the memory of their daughter, Stephanie, who was traveling with Food For The Poor when she died in the 2010 earthquake.

The couple has continued Stephanie’s work through annual fundraising projects and a pledge to build a school each year in her honor. The Crispinellis travel to Jamaica annually and have built five schools, all called Steph’s Place.

“We’ve got to keep this going,” said Lin Crispinelli, while at the work site of the second school built in 2011. “Everybody is so excited. It has been a wonderful experience.”

Earlier this year, 9-year-old junior golfer Rafe Cochran became one of Food For The Poor’s youngest donors. Even at such a young age, he realized that the need in Ganthier, Haiti, is tremendous. Large families there share small, fragile huts made with mud and sticks.

A January field trip with his fellow third-grade classmates from Palm Beach Day Academy to the Food For The Poor headquarters in Coconut Creek, Fla., inspired Rafe to help. He decided to pledge holes to the charity at a recent golf tournament held in Miami. Through his talents, the young golfer raised enough funds to build two homes – and he’s not stopping there.

“My goal is to build hundreds of houses for Haiti. No matter how young you are, you can always take action and support people,” said Rafe. “It makes me feel happy to help people. I wanted to support Food For The Poor because I saw how these children live and how fortunate I am. I was devastated and wanted to help.”

Donations to support Rafe’s goals can be made through his Champion For The Poor webpage at www.foodforthepoor.org/rafe. You can also support the legacy of Stephanie Crispinelli’s memory by building schools in Jamaica at  www.foodforthepoor.org/stephanie.

Ways to get involved:

• Become a Champion For The Poor
• Become a Volunteer Ambassador
• Become a corporate volunteer
• Get your church, school or community organization to team with FFP
• Find out if your employer matches gifts
• Request a speaker: get the word out about FFP’s mission by arranging speaking engagements through the Food For The Poor’s Speakers’ Bureau

For more information about Food For The Poor’s projects, causes, and programs for donors and volunteers, visit www.foodfor thepoor.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, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.