MEDIA RELEASE - FOOD FOR THE POOR HOSTS CHRISTMAS FOR THE CLASSROOM

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FOOD FOR THE POOR HOSTS CHRISTMAS FOR THE CLASSROOM ON FRIDAY 13-12-13 AT HOPE ZOO


Kingston, Jamaica – December 13, 2013: Food For The Poor is giving Jamaicans an opportunity to celebrate Christmas with a purpose, for the benefit of the nation’s youth. Today, Friday, December 13, Food For The Poor will be hosting Christmas For The Classroom, a glitzy, festive event on the lawns of Hope Zoo, which aims to raise funds to assist with the charity’s purchase of student desks and chairs for public educational institutions islandwide, under its 30th Anniversary School Furniture Programme.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION TO BENEFIT CHILDREN
The charity has set as its target the provision of no fewer than 15,000 school desks and chairs to schools by the end of the 2013-2014 academic year. Christmas For The Classroom, which happens on the 13th day of the 12th month of the year, will be exactly 12 days before Christmas and promises to bring luck to the children of Jamaica. It’s being held under the theme, “Honouring our Donors. Supporting Education.”

“Christmas for the Classroom on Friday the 13 will be a 30th birthday celebration for FFP, which will be used as a fund raiser for our school furniture programme. We are asking Jamaicans to buy a ticket and come out and support the event, as by supporting the event you will be helping to make this nation’s future bright by giving our children the necessary tools,” said Andrew Mahfood, Chairman of Food For The Poor Jamaica. “Too many schools are in dire need of desks and chairs and so our children have to be standing or ‘kotching’ in class – that’s a less than favourable learning environment. We need them to perform at their best, so we need to ensure they have desks and chairs.”

DELECTABLE FOOD & ENGAGING ENTERTAINMENT
Patrons of Christmas For The Classroom will enjoy scrumptious food from leading chefs. Much loved, veteran reggae singer and songwriter Ernie Smith who has iconic status among Jamaicans will be providing suburb entertainment. Sensational saxophonist Jeffery Brown will also entertain the audience.

FFP APPEALS FOR SUPPORT
All proceeds from the event will go towards FFP’s 30th Anniversary School Furniture Programme. Each 40-foot-container-load of 1,100 student desks and chairs will cost FFP US $22,000. Mr. Mahfood is appealing to citizens and corporate Jamaica to support Christmas For The Classroom, in helping the charity to reach its target of raising a total of US $300,000 (i.e. just over J $31.5 million).

“To provide the required desks and chairs for our school children, we need as much help as we can get from businesses, private sector foundations, civil society and all Jamaicans,” urged Mr. Mahfood. “This is our 30th birthday present that we are asking everyone for, so that we can take that present and give it to the children of our country”

He explained that since the FFP 30th Anniversary School Furniture programme was launched in October, some help has been received from five businesses and a Foundation, but much more financial assistance is needed. Donations have been forthcoming from: Continental Baking Company (National), Lasco Affiliated Companies, Wisynco Group, Tank-Weld, Spanish Development Foundation and Proven Wealth. The donations made to date, in addition to the contribution from FFP Head Office, will allow FFP to purchase 6,050 student chairs and desks. FFP will be handing over in the January 2014 school term, the first 2,200 desks and chairs, which are fully funded by the charity.

HONOURING 30 DONORS FOR ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Christmas For The Classroom will also see FFP honouring 30 individuals and or organizations, who/which have made outstanding contributions to the work of the charity during the past 30 years. Donors are being recognised in the categories of treasure, talent and time. The event starts at 7pm, but the awards programme commences at 8pm.

HOW TO MAKE DONATIONS
Donors to the 30th Anniversary School Furniture Programme may make their contributions online at: foodforthepoor.org/schoolfurniture. Persons may also send their commitments to jacquelinej@foodforthepoorja.org and deposit their donations to NCB St. Jago Shopping Centre Branch, Account number 47-1043885. Those wishing to make US dollar donations should lodge to the NCB St. Jago Shopping Centre Branch, Account Number 47-4335267.

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Food For The Poor (FFP)-Jamaica is the largest charity organization in the country. Food For The Poor Inc., located in Florida, USA, was named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the United States.
It is an interdenominational Christian agency that does much more than feed the millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. FFP 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% of all donations going directly to programmes that help the poor. For more information visit our Web site at www.foodforthepoorja.com
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Contact:
Erica James-King, PROComm, T: 926-6740 or 564-5277

Petri-Ann Henry, Food For The Poor, T: 984-5005 or 564-2886