Eradicating poverty in all its forms by 2030 is the United Nations’ number one sustainable development goal, which is supported by Food For The Poor. It’s a daunting challenge that highlights the urgent need for collective action and compassionate solutions across the globe.
In a world filled with division and inequality, charity and generosity shine a beacon of hope for impoverished communities worldwide, fueling education, health care, and sustainable development.
From providing essential resources and access to education, to fostering sustainable development and empowering marginalized individuals, charity and generosity can be catalysts for change.
“Food For The Poor, like many humanitarian organizations, cannot go it alone,” said Jisabelle Garcia-Pedroso, Director of Operations at Food For The Poor. “Partnerships allow us to extend our reach and make a more significant impact.”
By collaborating with partners, Food For The Poor is “better able to steward the donor’s support into the right hands to meet the needs of those who are affected right where they are.”
In this post, we will look at three ways the partnership of charitable giving and collaboration help Food For The Poor break the cycle of poverty.
1 – Needs Assessment: By playing a critical role in conducting needs assessments and identifying the most pressing issues, Food For The Poor’s partners help ensure the right resources are directed where they are needed most and with the most appropriate relief items.
Food For The Poor’s response to Hurricane Idalia “is a perfect example of how donor support provides help to bring relief to victims of disaster,” Garcia-Pedroso pointed out.
With assistance from the Florida Catholic Conference and the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, Food For The Poor delivered 1,620 hygiene kits, 500 women’s care kits, 288 cleaning kits and 250 tarps to victims of the storm in the Big Bend area of the Florida Panhandle following Idalia’s landfall in late August.
And “because we had prepositioned goods at our Food For The Poor Florida warehouse,” she said, “we were quickly able to dispatch them.”
While Food For The Poor provides aid, partners help the organization understand how and where to best address the needs of affected communities.
“That’s why now we’re better able to identify the needs, identify the communities, avoid overlap and be able to attend to those relief needs as quickly as possible,” she said.
2 – Extended Reach: Collaborating with partners gives Food For The Poor the ability to expand its reach and impact in communities once thought unreachable.
“No longer do we have to believe that we, as an organization, have to do everything ourselves,” noted David Langle, Food For The Poor’s Project Manager for South America. “Instead, by partnering with other like-minded organizations such as CODESPA, Food For The Poor is able to multiply its efforts exponentially.”
Langle referred to a recent economic development project in Colombia aimed at generating income for 200 families of small shrimp and raspberry farmers.
Food For The Poor teamed up with CODESPA in an effort to help improve the lives of small farmers affected by the pandemic, drug trafficking, and armed conflict in the Colombian municipalities of Miranda and Tumaco.
Crediting the “great work of our teams,” Langle explained that since the project began in 2022, 50 indigenous farming families are now selling their raspberries in local markets and have increased their family income by 40%.
Also, 150 shrimp producers are projected to generate a 33% income rise, thanks to the identification of commercial partners, market segment penetration, and product positioning.
“Because of our partnership with CODESPA,” said Astrid Cortes, Director of Sustainable Livelihoods at Food For The Poor, “we are able to extend our reach beyond supply chains through food donations, through housing.”
“When multiple organizations work together to help lift vulnerable communities out of poverty, we can build a better world for those we serve,” Langle concluded.
3 – Expanding Existing Programs: Whether through financial contributions, in-kind donations, or access to specialized expertise, Food For The Poor works with its trusted network of partners to maximize donor generosity.
The expanded provision of commodities for the Spammy Program in Guatemala “highlights the various aspects of donated gifts, so many aspects of our partnerships with NGOs,” said Javier Ramirez, Senior Director of Procurement and Fulfillment at Food For The Poor.
The long-standing food program, which began in 2011 as a partnership with Hormel Foods Corporation and Cáritas Arquidiocesana, continues to help malnourished children in Guatemala.
But MAP International, one of the charity’s leading NGO partners in medicine and medical supplies, has added another dimension to the program.
In addition to receiving nutritional aid, mothers and children who visit the health and educational centers, or Chispa Centers, receive prenatal vitamins, pediatric antibiotics, Liquid I.V., and deworming medication.
Watch this video of Rosita, a beneficiary of the Chispa program in Guatemala, as she explains how her life has been impacted:
They can also participate in educational workshops, have their children weighed and measured, and visit a doctor to ensure both mother and child are in good health.
Ramirez is excited about this program. “You see the combination of different components of generosity from different NGOs,” he said, “and we could not do that obviously if we didn’t have the funds in order to send these goods into these countries.”
By providing all these goods, made possible thanks to generous donor support, Food For The Poor’s in-country partners can assist their people without having to purchase these items.
“If it wasn’t for the generosity of our donors, we wouldn’t be able to build capacity,” Ramirez said, “and that’s exactly what we’re doing, building capacity to all of these organizations on the ground.”
‘A Fundamental Pillar’
“Partnerships are not just an addendum to Food For The Poor’s mission,” Garcia-Pedroso said, “but a fundamental pillar. They expand our reach, enhance our capabilities, and, most importantly, bring a wealth of local knowledge to the table.”
Through its trusted network of partners, Food For The Poor is able to harness donor charity to help more people break free from the cycle of poverty.
“These collaborations allow us to work smarter and make a more profound impact,” Garcia-Pedroso noted, “helping us fulfill our mission of delivering aid where it is needed most.”
How You Can Help
The life-changing mission of Food For The Poor is not possible without steadfast donor support.
You can help. Share your charity and generosity – be it time, talent, or treasure – with Food For The Poor today by visiting foodforthepoor.org. Every gift matters.
