For the past few years I have kept busy with a number of volunteer activities. One of them, of which I am particularly proud, has been to act as Board Chair for Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC). FFPC is a relatively small Canadian non-profit focused on providing assistance to the Caribbean and Central America.
I first became engaged with FFPC during my time as High Commissioner to Jamaica. Unlike some other non-profits, FFPC got done the things they said they would get done; they were efficient; they had strong national and local connections and a highly respected local operation. I knew that it was an organization that I would be comfortable associating myself with.
The past almost 6 years have been highly rewarding on a personal level for me, and the rest of the Board, as we have watched a small, but capable, staff increase the number of projects delivered and the number people helped. But beyond the staff, it is individual Canadians who have made this success possible. FFPC does not receive government funding. All of our money comes from individual donors. Even during the pandemic we are all living through, individual Canadians have entrusted FFPC with financial donations to continue and expand our work.
The New Year is a time of reflection. I would invite you to take a look at FFPC’s year-end summary for 2021. I would also invite you to consider joining the others who have shown confidence in us by making a donation this coming year. Donation links can be found at the Food For The Poor Canada website
You can make a difference. You will not regret it.
Dec 27, 2021 09h00 HE | Source: Food For The Poor Canada
Food For The Poor Canada’s Executive Director Samantha Mahfood thanked the team that made this possible: “All this great work is a direct result of 636 Canadians who gave generously, 5 staff who worked passionately, and a board of 10 that led with clarity. We get to do this incredible work because our partners in Canada and in the Caribbean and Latin America are fierce and have a heart for the lives they impact. We are more than grateful.”
FFPC provided vulnerable families with 2.6 million meals this year. Some of the food security response directly supported Haitians following the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti. In partnership with Ontario Christian Gleaners, FFPC sent Haiti meals of dried vegetable soup mix, barley, yams, and almonds; one shipment of 800,000 meals arrived days after the earthquake. In the Bahamas, FFPC supported a lunch program for 90 students, many of whom were displaced after Hurricane Dorian. In Jamaica, FFPC donors supported school lunch programs, as well as supplying prisons, hospitals, and orphanages with food.
In emergency response, following the eruption of La Soufrière, FFPC supported relief efforts and clean-up.
In Derac, Haiti, 30 families have new homes this year. This sustainable community development will have a community centre, school, health clinic, 120 homes, a community garden, and more built over the next few years.
In 2021, FFPC constructed two schools – a vocational training school in San Antonio, Honduras and an Early Childhood School in Jamaica. Centro Basico Vocacional allows children to extend their education beyond Grade 6 up to Grade 9, and learn employable skills in agriculture; the Goodwill Early Childhood Learning Center in Jamaica, built in collaboration with Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation, gives 3 to 6 year-olds a strong educational start.
In Baramita, Guyana, Canadians built and stocked a library inside the recently built Community Centre. In San Antonio, Honduras, women received empowerment training and will receive support for a community business to be set up; local farmers received materials and technical assistance to produce honey and grow coffee. Through comprehensive agricultural training, farmers can now generate income and become self-sustainable.
In Jamaica, FFPC supported the country’s largest orphanage, Maxfield Park Children’s Home, with updated kitchen and laundry appliances, made possible by a generous donation directed by the Sean Paul Foundation.
In 2022, Food For The Poor Canada will continue to work with Canadians to impact lives across the Caribbean and Latin America.
About Food For The Poor Canada
Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC) empowers communities in Latin America and the Caribbean through five areas of investment: food, health, housing, education, and income-generating projects.
FFPC responds to urgent needs while building community and social infrastructure. FFPC utilizes the pre-existing networks of local affiliated organizations to better sustain and grow the communities they serve. Through trusted partners, FFPC has strengthened its emergency preparedness and responds effectively to emergencies and natural disasters when they occur.
Over the last 13 years, FFPC and its donors have built 173 homes, 36 schools, as well as shipped and distributed $42,000,000 in food, educational and medical supplies to communities in LAC.
For interviews or more information, contact:
Samantha Mahfood
Executive Director
(416) 921-4008
Samantham@foodforthepoor.ca
www.foodforthepoor.ca
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