Facts About Our Work in Saint Lucia

Gifts In Kind are an important component of Food For The Poor’s (FFTP) work in St. Lucia. The organization works with St. Lucia’s Archbishop’s House in assisting families in need. FFTP also works closely with Caritas Antilles with the distribution of goods in St. Lucia.

Current COVID-19 stats

Total Cases             10,605
Active                       2,277
Deaths                        150
Recovered                 8,178
Vaccinated              72,577 (29,146 fully vaccinated – approximately 15.9% of population fully vaccinated)

In March 2020, FFTP responded quickly when COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, became a pandemic. The charity sent five tractor-trailer loads of items specifically for COVID-19 relief.

In 2021, FFTP shipped 29 tractor-trailer loads of aid to the Caribbean nation, including:

• Agricultural tools
• Medical equipment
• Medical supplies
• Household items
• Computers
• Clothes
• Furniture
• Canned vegetables and meats and other foods

Caritas Antilles has been part of a regional response to the La Soufriere volcano eruption in St. Vincent, partnering with FFTP to provide immediate assistance for disaster relief and supporting the UNICEF WASH program initiative.

FFTP has established several self-sustaining micro-enterprise initiatives in St. Lucia, which include beekeeping, and tilapia and shrimp farming.

The charity built 20 greenhouses to assist 20 basic schools with their individual feeding programs. The goal of the initiative was to educate students about the multiple benefits of trees and reforestation.

• FFTP’s bee-farming program for the Pastoral Centre in Castries, St. Lucia, served as an income-generating project that provided employment for beekeepers and revenue from the sale of honey.
• Pastoral Centre Bee Farm Project Phase II served as an income-generating project that provided employment for beekeepers and revenue from the sale of honey.
• Pastoral Centre Greenhouse Gardening Project provided produce to offset expenses and generate income through the sale of the crops.
• St. Lucia’s Home Food Production Project was created to promote self-sustaining chicken farms and vegetable gardens to improve the nutrition levels of the home’s residents in Marchand. The project was intended to generate income that would help cover operational costs.

The population is more than 166,600 residents. The language is English, and Catholicism is the largest religion. The currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar and the GDP per capita is $12,300.