FOOD FOR THE POOR JAMAICA & FONTANA HELPS HOMELESS - The Gleaner - March 31, 2016

Jolyn Williams (third left, in blue) with two of her family members; Food For The Poor representatives (left and right) and Kevin O’Brien Chang (third right, plaid shirt) pose in front of her new home.

Mother of eight Jolyn Williams will be returning to nursing school this year content and comfortable, knowing that there is no longer any worry about a home for her and her family. She will be moving into a brand new home donated by Fontana Pharmacy and Food For The Poor.

Last October, 'A Party with a Purpose' was held in Montego Bay. The goal of the event was to partner with Food For The Poor to raise funds for the construction of four homes. Not only was the goal met, an additional 12 houses were donated by private donors, one of them being Fontana.

The house was built in Mandeville, Manchester, where Fontana's roots were established. The pharmacy continues to build on the principles of community and giving that were laid down almost 48 years ago by Bobby and Angela Chang.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160331/fontana-helps-homeless

FOOD FOR THE POOR HELPS IN FREEING MORE THAN 200 NON-VIOLENT PRISONERS FOR EASTER - Jamaica Observer - March 29, 2016

Food for the Poor helps in freeing more than 200 non-violent prisoners for Easter

KINGSTON, Jamaica, (CMC) – The interdenominational Christian ministry, “Food for the Poor”, says it has been able to secure the release of non-violent prisoners in several Caribbean countries for the Easter season.

Food for the Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations, said it had been able to secure the release of inmates in Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti and Honduras.

Food for the Poor said that it has worked to free 256 inmates for Easter, including four from Guyana, 232 in Haiti, nine from Jamaica and 2 from Honduras.
“I understand if a person commits a crime they must face the consequences of their actions, but the majority of these first-time offenders are being locked up with hard core criminals for weeks, months and even years at a time because they cannot afford to pay the minimal fines for their freedom,” said Robin Mahfood, President and chief executive officer of Food For The Poor

Each inmate released this week in Haiti received a hot meal, a 100-pound bag of rice, personal care items, and a monetary gift for transportation home.

In Jamaica, nonviolent prisoners were released from Hunts Bay Police Station, and Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston, and the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town.

Each newly released person received words of encouragement, a hot meal and personal care items.

“We serve a God who is very merciful,” said Mahfood, adding “we can only pray that each prisoner who was released will recognize that our Lord is a God of second chances”.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/FOOD-POOR2016-03-26T12-22-40

A HOUSE FOR FORMER HOMELESS MOM OF FOUR - Jamaica Observer - March 29, 2016

HOME AT LAST: Latoya Williams (centre), the formerly homeless mother with four children, opens the house that Food For The Poor Jamaica and Rainforest Seafoods Limited constructed for her last week. Sharing in the moment is Roger Lyn, Marketing Manager of Rainforest Seafoods.

Not long ago, 31-year-old Latoya Williams was facing the reality of being homeless and unemployed with four children, and local authorities threatening to take her children from her. Now, she says she has much to give thanks for, primarily because Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica recently gave her a house.

Williams, who now resides along St John’s Road in St Catherine, was evicted because she was unable to pay her rent. With nowhere to live, authorities told her they would take her children from her and place them in the care of the State. After being told this, Williams developed a plan to get a house.

“I used to buy and sell downtown with goods such as bag juice and cookies, but I haven’t been selling since the year began because things got hard on me. I would borrow to buy the goods, and when things don’t turn over with a good profit, I can’t repay,” Williams said in an interview.

“Then I couldn’t pay the rent or send the children to school, so I got evicted. With all of what was going on, I went to Food For The Poor with the hope of applying for a house and getting it. I was told I needed a letter from a Justice of the Peace and my grandmother who owns the land the house was built on, so I went and got those and submitted it, then they selected me for a house.”

FFP Jamaica, along with Rainforest Seafoods Limited, built the house for Williams during Holy Week.
“I am so grateful. Mi did think mi did ina one gutter weh mi couldn’t come out of, but with the house Food For The Poor gave to me, is like I am coming out of the gutter. All I need to do now is start sell again, and I have another plan for that. I just need a freezer and go downtown and start buy the bag juice them in a big bulk and store them in the freezer,” Williams said.

Executive Director, FFP Jamaica, David Mair said that when the case for Williams was presented to his team, they could not resist assisting.

“When you saw her story, you would have been heartbroken. Immediately after she was evicted, she was literally on the street with her children. She came to us, presented her case and showed us the documents regarding her eviction and her case with the court and her children. We had to assist her, because without a house, she would have lost her children,” Mair said.

He further stated: “Our first 5K Run/Walk, which was held in 2015, had a focus of raising funds to build houses for mothers who are in dire need of houses. Our 5K was also planned for May, on the eve of Mother’s Day, because we see a greater amount in applications being submitted by mothers who need relief assistance along with their children. Williams is one of those mothers. It is so fitting that she has gotten a house two weeks before we launch our next 5K Run/Walk on April 5.”

Rainforest Seafoods are the sponsors who donated the funds needed to construct the house. Marketing Manager of the company, Roger Lyn said that when Development/Marketing Manager, FFP Jamaica Marsha Burrell called and presented the case to him, his team could not resist assisting.

“When you heard and saw the circumstance of this family, you would have been heartbroken. We had to help. It was a no-brainer, because Rainforest Seafoods is all about family, and keeping families together. We have done work with Food For The Poor before and we were proud to partner with them in building a house again,” Lyn said.

Williams expressed gratitude to both organisations for helping her.

“I am so grateful. I could not afford a house because I started out wrong in life, and my parents could not afford to give me a good education. When I was to do Caribbean Examination Council subjects, my mother seh she can’t pay fi dem. Dem fi send mi home. After leaving school I have to be buying and selling. I made mistakes, but I want better for my children,” the single mother said.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/A-house-for-former-homeless-mom-of-four_55897

HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT TURNS HER LIFE AROUND - Jamaica Observer - March 27, 2016

Denise Foster (centre), vice-principal of Barbara E Lee Hing Basic School in Banana Ground, Manchester, hugs Reverend Thora Levy, president of Christos Ministries Inc, following the handover of the new school building and the scholarship announcement. Also sharing in the moment was Anthony Lee Hing, widower of the late Barbara E Lee Hing after whom the school has been renamed.

FOR the past 11 years, Denise Foster, vice-principal of the Barbara E Lee Hing Banana Ground Basic School in Manchester, has been executing her job without a university degree.

She is not unqualified to teach at the basic school level, for she holds a diploma in the field, but she has been wanting to climb further up the ladder. The problem was, she couldn’t afford the cost of studies at the tertiary level. Just over a year ago, for example, she made enquiries into the Bachelor of Education degree in Early Childhood Education at the Catholic College of Mandeville, but found the costs prohibitive.

Upon learning of her story, members of Christos Ministries Inc, a US-based charity organisation spearheaded by Reverend Thora Levy, and which partners with Food for the Poor Jamaica, decided to award her with a scholarship valued at approximately $700,000.

The announcement was made during the handover in January of a new building for Foster’s school, the fifth basic school in Jamaica to which Christos has contributed to repairing.

Foster started pursuing her studies three days after the announcement, registering for three courses for the semester on a part-time basis.
“The scholarship! I’m excited!” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“Words cannot explain how I feel. I am so thankful to Christos Ministries Inc. I have been trying for years, and I feel good to know the time has finally come to pass,” she said.

“After becoming pregnant with my first child at the age of 18 years, I became a high school dropout and lost the chance of sitting my O’level examinations months before they were held. I sat down at home until I had two other children.

She said at that point, she had given up on life, until 2001 when she made the decision to turn things around.

“In 2001, I decided that I was going to do the Jamaica School Certificate Examinations and I did three subjects without going to class and I got all three, also mathematics with credit. Following that, my last child started coming to Banana Ground Basic School in 2004, so I decided that it was my time now to step out too with my son, and I started working at the school,” Foster said.

She subsequently earned a grade two pass in mathematics in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination.

“Also, at that time, my first child started high school, so I registered with Heart Trust/NTA to do the level one certification in early childhood education and from there it has been non-stop,” she said.

She went on to do the level two course, then the diploma course, and a Certificate in Human Exceptionalities at The Mico University College.

Foster expects to continue to make progress by being successful with the degree programme. She said she will decide then whether to remain in Banana Ground, or apply somewhere new to make a difference in the lives of others.

- Ainsworth Morris

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/career/High-school-dropout-turns-her-life-around_53275

Denise Foster, vice-principal of Barbara E Lee Hing Basic School in Banana Ground, Manchester, has been awarded a scholarship to pursue a degree in early childhood education.

CHARITY FREES NONVIOLENT PRISONERS FOR EASTER HOLY WEEK - News Release - March 23, 2016

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (March 23, 2016) Prison overcrowding is a major problem in the Caribbean and Latin America. It is a dangerous and in some cases deadly environment for inmates and correctional officers working in these facilities.

So it is with even greater determination that Food For The Poor worked this year to free 256 inmates for Easter. As an example of why this work is necessary, 17 inmates in the Camp Street Prison in Georgetown, Guyana, lost their lives and at least eight others were injured after frustrated inmates set fires to protest crowded and unsanitary conditions. According to published reports, the 130 year-old prison was built to hold 450, but at the time of the riot had more than 1,000 people crowded into its cells.

"It’s truly tragic what happened to those men in Guyana, no one deserves to die that way. These prisons in developing countries are being filled to the max with people who are committing petty offenses," said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. "I understand if a person commits a crime they must face the consequences of their actions, but the majority of these first-time offenders are being locked up with hardcore criminals for weeks, months and even years at a time because they cannot afford to pay the minimal fines for their freedom. It is a Food For The Poor tradition to release nonviolent inmates twice a year, during the Easter and Christmas season."

Rajesh was one of those inmates in Guyana. Sick and suffering from tuberculosis, he was sentenced to four months in prison. On Monday, Rajesh and three other men were released from the Georgetown prison after Food For The Poor paid their fines for Holy Week. In Rajesh’s case, the charity also provided treatment for his tuberculosis, which he was extremely grateful to receive.

"Thank you very much for your gift of freedom," said Rajesh, in a phone call with Mahfood. "I feel so much better now and I want to thank you for the treatment I received while in prison."

Each of the four men were given a Holy Bible, a change of clothes, caps, personal care items, food and a monetary gift as they were released from prison.

For 18 years, Food For The Poor has been paying the fines of nonviolent offenders, freeing them from their prisons twice a year. Thanks to the generosity of the charity’s donors, four men were freed in Guyana, 232 men and women in Haiti, 11 men in Honduras and nine men in Jamaica.

In Haiti, six prisons located in Cap-Haitien, Fort-Liberté, Grande Rivière, Hinche, Port-au-Prince, and Port-de-Paix agreed to allow Food For The Poor to pay its required fines for nonviolent offenders. The majority of these prisoners, which included a few women, were locked up for stealing items such as chickens to feed their families or other items for their daily needs.

"My kids were hungry and I did not have nothing at home to feed them. I went to a public market and I stole a bag of rice and one gallon of oil," said one prisoner, who was freed from a Cap-Haitien prison. "Thank you Food For The Poor for having me freed today."

Another, also freed from Cap-Haitien, said "I am Estimé, I stole a goat at Saint Michel because I needed money for my little girl’s tuition at school. Thank you for freeing me."

"I was coming back from the D.R. after buying goods. At the control point, in Terrier Rouge, they said that I stole two bags of flour, so I was arrested and brought to prison. Thank you Food For The Poor for freedom," said Tima who was released this week.

Each inmate released this week in Haiti received a hot meal, a 100-pound bag of rice, personal care items, and a monetary gift for transportation home.

In Honduras, some of the prisoners wrote letters of gratitude to Food For The Poor donors explaining the circumstances that led to their imprisonment. Nelson, who was recently released from prison in San Pedro Sula, wrote about being abandoned as a child and the troubles that followed.

The 28 year-old is the oldest of three siblings and says he’s looking forward to helping his family. Nelson also says prison has taught him the importance of freedom and he doesn’t want to return. The 11 released prisoners in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa were provided with care packages and travel expenses.

In Jamaica, nonviolent prisoners were released from Hunts Bay Police Station, and Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston, and the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town. Each newly released person was escorted from their cell to a room, and later to the chapel where they were each greeted by Food For The Poor staff. They also received words of encouragement, a hot meal and personal care items.

"We serve a God who is very merciful," said Mahfood. "We can only pray that each prisoner who was released will recognize that our Lord is a God of second chances."

Since the inception of Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program in 1998, the charity has assisted in freeing, training and reintroducing nonviolent prisoners back into their communities as productive citizens.

To support Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program, checks payable to Food For The Poor can be mailed to 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Fla. 33073. Please include reference number "SC# 74122" to ensure your donation is correctly routed.

Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations 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

Source: http://www.foodforthepoor.org/newsroom/news/charity-frees-nonviolent-prisoners-easter-holy-week-032316.html

http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/food-poor-pays-fines-secure-release-256-prisoners-easter

'SINGLE MOTHER OF 8 CHILDREN GETS HOME FROM FOOD FOR THE POOR JAMAICA - Loop Jamaica - March 23, 2016

Jolyn Williams, a 32-year-old single mother of eight children, is a determined woman.

It's a character trait she has always displayed, amid some major personal mistakes, since her youth.

“Right now, I am pursuing a programme in practical nursing because I am determined," Williams said in an interview.

"I have eight children to provide for and I need a good job to sustain me, so I decided to buy and sell yam in the market, and send myself back to school,” she said.

Williams has eight Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) subjects, five of which she got in 2002 when graduating from Bellefield High School, and the others after going to extra classes in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

“I got pregnant with my first child while I was attending Beaumount High School and after I had the baby, I got a second chance to attend Bellefield High, and I tried to make the most of it and passed five subjects. However, after leaving high school, I had seven more children and things seemed downhill for me, but I never gave up,” Williams said.

In addition to the challenges of mothering her eight children without their three fathers, the over 50-year-old house which Williams and her children occupied in Beltline district in Knock Patrick, Manchester, began to fall apart.

Faced with the daunting prospect of not having a home for her family, Williams applied to Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica three years ago for a house.

"After going there, I was told I needed a pastor to recommend me with a letter for the house. After getting the pastor to do that, I was told that property tax was owing on the land, so I could not get a house although I qualified,” Williams said.

However, determined, Williams developed a plan.

"I went to Trelawny and bought rejected yam and went to Manchester and sold that batch of yam," she said. "From that, I became an entrepreneur, continued selling yam and saved money to pay the tax owed on the land. Then I went back to Food For The Poor and proved that I paid for the land, and the house was built and officially handed over to me in February.”

An overjoyed Williams expressed her gratitude to FFP Jamaica

“This situation with getting the house motivated me in numerous ways. It is the reason I started selling yam, and it is from selling yam that I started saving to send myself back to school over the years, and then enrolled to do the practical nursing diploma programme,” Williams said.

“I give thanks for the wonderful gift of shelter for me and my eight children. God bless Food For The Poor and their donors,” she added.

David Mair, Executive Director of FFP Jamaica, said Williams represents one of hundreds of single mothers who are currently on the charity organisation’s waiting list for houses for which they are trying to raise funds through their upcoming 5K Walk/Run which will be held in Kingston on May 7.

“One of the reasons we are hosting our 5K Walk/Run on the eve of Mother’s Day is because we want to help as many homeless mothers in Jamaica as possible. Most of our nation’s families who are in need have mothers as the cornerstone,” Mair said.

FFP Jamaica hosted their inaugural 5K Walk/Run on May 9, 2015. Approximately $46.5 million was raised from that event. Sixty-four houses were built from the funds raised.

The house handed over to Williams and her children, was donated by Ray Therrien in association with Fontana Pharmacy.

Source: http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/single-mother-eight-children-gets-home-food-poor-jamaica

FOOD FOR THE POOR: 34 YEARS AND GROWING STRONGER - March 14, 2016

'


It could be easily argued that Food For The Poor (FFP) has surpassed the expectations of Sam, Ferdinand, Robin and Joe Mahfood in a mere 34 years since it was started by Ferdinand in 1982. He then brought his siblings - Sam, Robin and Joe - on board. FFP-Jamaica was incorporated in 1983, and today, it is among the largest international relief and development organisations, and certainly Jamaica's largest.

In an interview with The Gleaner, FFP Chairman Andrew Mahfood, nephew of the founder, said that at the start, his uncle deliberately included his three brothers.

"When he migrated, he felt a greater calling to serve the less fortunate. [He] met with the family, who agreed to support him, got the initial warehouse space from Wisynco, and with aid from the United States, it has mushroomed," Mahfood said.

Now FFP is based in 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras, St Vincent, Guyana, Haiti, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

They began by distributing food items only through churches, but have now expanded to address housing, education, health care, fishing, prison ministry, agriculture and social outreach needs.

Among FFP's recent accomplishments was the February sourcing of 6,000 bottles of paracetamol and 19 portable fogging machines through its head office in Miami to assist the Ministry of Health with its preparation for the Zika virus.

REACHING OUT

But to further explain the basis for the charity, Mahfood put it thus: "To get out of poverty, people need a house, access to health care, education and a source of income, so at Food for the Poor, we are trying to help them make it out."

Executive Director David Mair is proud of the many areas of FFP's focus, particularly the prison ministry and the housing construction.

"Under the former, every Easter and Christmas, we identify inmates who have committed minor offences and pay their fines so that they can be released," he said.

Mair added that they assist the former convicts to find gainful employment, particularly through the Fresh Start programme that provides assistance for those who wish to set up welding, carpentry, farming and other businesses.

RECORD NUMBER OF HOUSES

A record 842 houses were constructed in 2015. Mahfood said the housing solutions have improved considerably from single-unit to the present two-bedrooms with kitchen, bathroom, living and dining room.

"We also equip each house with a 400-gallon water tank and solar power to carry three light bulbs and charge a phone. There is also a gutter attached for water harvesting, as in many cases, the houses are located in areas that are so remote, there is no access to public water and electricity," Mahfood said.

As for the next 34 years, Mahfood hopes there will be no more need for FFP because poverty would have been a thing of the past.

"Our job is not complete until all the poor are uplifted or I might have a more serious question to answer," he said

For the immediate future, FFP plans to work more closely with the Government to find ways to get the desperately poor into sustainable activity and provide opportunities to improve their long-term security, health and education.

barbara.ellington@gleanerjm.com

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160314/food-poor-34-years-and-growing-stronger

'18 FAMILIES RECEIVE HOMES IN PORTLAND COTTAGE' - Loop Jamaica - March 5, 2016

Eighteen families in Portland Cottage, Clarendon, are now proud homeowners, thanks to a donation of approximately J$11.52 million made by Chris Davitt and Craig Ruppert, along with their friends from the United States, and Food For The Poor (FFP).

Davitt and Ruppert, who have set one of their lives’ goals as donating annually to Jamaica, travelled to the island on February 12 with a team of 36. The group, assisted by staff members of Food For The Poor Jamaica, built the houses on February 13 and 14.

David Mair, Executive Director of FFP Jamaica, said he was pleased that these two gentlemen, along with their family and friends - who form the mission group ‘Davitt/Ruppert Family and Friends’ - had created an annual calendar event to journey to Jamaica and construct houses for the homeless.

“It costs approximately J$640,000 to construct one house. With Mr Davitt, Mr Ruppert and their family and friends’ initiative of constructing 18 houses, this sums up to approximately J$11.52 million. This is a grand donation!” Mair said in a recent interview.

Mair said the entire group epitomizes what it means to be your brother’s keeper.

“These Americans are not only keepers for each other, but they are keepers for people living thousands of miles away from them in the island of Jamaica. Perhaps, if there were more individuals like them, more homeless individuals would be reached and our country would have a much better standard of living,” Mair added.

Ruppert said he was always eager to come to Jamaica and build houses for families in need.

“We are always happy to come. I have been coming for about 17 years, and we bring our family and friends. They come. They work hard. They learn from the experience and we go back as better people with life in a better perspective,” Ruppert said in an interview during the construction of the houses.

Davitt said that he has great compassion for the needy people living in Jamaica. It is for that reason and more, he keeps coming back to assist.

“We come and have a wonderful time with the people, especially the contractors from Food For The Poor. There are beautiful persons in the country and it makes us feel really great and appreciated each time we reached out to help them,” Davitt said.

Davitt, Ruppert and their supporters have partnered with FFP Jamaica to construct five schools, more than 165 houses, a home for the elderly, as well as to equip a community with a sustainable fishing village project and to install two water projects since 2001.

Their efforts have improved the health and living conditions of many throughout Jamaica. In 2014, the group built a six-unit building for the students and teachers of Lewis Town Basic School in St Elizabeth and constructed a house for a resident in the area.

The 18 families who received Portland Cottage houses were grateful.

Odette Sawyers, one of the recipients, said, “I am really thankful this evening. I am so happy, I am overwhelmed. I am so happy for that and so happy to receive this special gift. I am honoured and thankful.”

Christine Dennis, 75, another housing recipient said, “I am so grateful that you could give me a house. I needed a new house so much. My house is so beautiful. Thank you for the wonderful gift you have given me.”

Source: http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/18-families-receive-homes-portland-cottage

'18 FAMILIES RECEIVE HOUSES IN PORTLAND COTTAGE' - Jamaica Observer - March 7, 2016

Volunteers and members of Food For The Poor Jamaica constructing one of the 18 houses donated to families in Portland Cottage, Clarendon.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Eighteen families in Portland Cottage, Clarendon recently received new houses thanks to a donation of approximately J$11.52 million made by Chris Davitt and Craig Ruppert, along with their friends from the United States, and Food For The Poor (FFP).

Davitt and Ruppert, who have set one of their lives’ goals as donating annually to Jamaica, travelled to the island on February 12 with a team of 36. The group, assisted by staff members of Food For The Poor Jamaica, built the houses on February 13 and 14.

David Mair, Executive Director of FFP Jamaica, said he was pleased that these two gentlemen, along with their family and friends - who form the mission group ‘Davitt/Ruppert Family and Friends’ - had created an annual calendar event to journey to Jamaica and construct houses for the homeless.

“It costs approximately J$640,000 to construct one house. With Davitt, Ruppert and their family and friends’ initiative of constructing 18 houses, this sums up to approximately J$11.52 million. This is a grand donation!” Mair said in a recent interview.

Mair said the entire group epitomizes what it means to be your brother’s keeper.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/FOOD-POOR

FFP CELEBRATES 34 YEARS - News Release - February 29, 2016

– OVER US $11.4 BILLION IN FUNDING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kingston, Jamaica – February 29, 2016: Since its inception in 1982, international relief and development organization Food For The Poor Inc as completed 2,286 water projects, built and repaired over 350 schools, and built more than 107,800 housing units. The charity has distributed 75,000 shipping containers of goods. These contributions amount to more than US $11.4 billion in aid. The organization, which started serving in Jamaica, and is now serving the lives of the destitute in 17 countries throughout the Caribbean & Latin America, celebrated 34 years of service on February 12, 2016.

“None of this would be possible without God. We must give thanks for His tremendous blessings on this organization, and for the loving support of our donors who truly want to make a difference in the world. Our goal is to provide food, housing, water and an education to break the cycle of poverty,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “We understand that we cannot fix all of the problems, but we are committed to helping one person and one family at a time. This is what we are commissioned to do, to help one another.”

With offices located in Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana, FFP has helped families to generate income and to become self-sustaining by providing technical training in animal husbandry, agricultural and aquaculture projects. Sixty-nine fully operational fishing villages in Jamaica, Haiti and Honduras, and a tree programme, established in 2007, which has resulted in over 2 million fruit trees being planted, are prime examples of this.

“Food For The Poor remains dedicated to serving the less fortunate across the Caribbean and Latin America. The work is demanding, and the reward of sharing the joy and happiness of our beneficiaries is the fuel driving our 34-year-old Charity. We continue to execute professionally and extremely cost effectively, for all donors, ensuring maximum impact and transforming the lives of the poor,” said Mr. Andrew Mahfood, Chairman of FFP Jamaica.

“Food For The Poor Jamaica extends our deepest gratitude to our many donors, who have helped to increase the number of lives affected and the overall impact of our efforts. We especially want to thank Food for the Poor Inc (Florida) for their continued assistance in securing donors. Our doors are open to any person, group of persons, or entities for partnership in offering assistance to the poor,” said Mr. David Mair, Executive Director of FFP Jamaica.

Food For the Poor is one of the largest international relief and development organizations and provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational material, 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 programmes that help the poor.

For more information, please contact:
Petri-Ann Henry, Public Relations Officer, Food For The Poor Jamaica. Cell: 564-2886
Laurelle J. Taylor, PROComm Tel: 665-5025 or 381-2747

Prepared by: PRO Communications Limited