Tons of Donated Food Headed to Haiti
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 9, 2008) – Television cameras and reporters were on hand Monday morning to see nearly 20 tons of donated food loaded into containers for shipment to Haiti’s poor.
The more than 39,000 pounds of rice, beans, canned fruits, vegetables, meats, bottled water, juices, and other non-perishable items was collected during a two-week long drive sponsored by Miami-Dade County Commissioners Barbara Jordan and Audrey Edmonson. SeaFreight of Miami will ship the food to Port Au Prince, Haiti, and then Food For The Poor will distribute it to poor of the island nation.
“When poverty and hunger brought violence to the streets of Haiti, some people were saddened but did nothing,” said Food For The Poor’s Executive Director, Angel Aloma. “But the people of Miami-Dade County saw the desperate situation in Haiti and decided to do the right thing. Now we pray that others will be inspired to do likewise.”
Other area food drives sponsored by Miami-Dade College, Coral Reef Senior High School, Dania Beach Elementary School, Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary School, New World School of the Arts, Perrine Elementary School, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Elementary School, and the Miami-Dade Health Department have brought in pallet after pallet of food and medical supplies that will be distributed in Haiti by Food For The Poor.
But Aloma says that even with these donations and with Food For The Poor more than tripling its shipments of food to Haiti, the needs there are still tremendous.
“Certainly we are all feeling the pinch of higher food prices, “ said Aloma. “But in Haiti, where the average family barely survives on less than $2.00 a day, a jump in the cost of food staples means that more children go hungry and more people need our help.”
Food For The Poor feeds millions of destitute children and their families in Haiti. Through its expansive networks of island-wide distribution hubs, Food For The Poor supports thousands of partners feeding the poorest of the poor. Together with its donors and missionaries, Food For The Poor continues to fight the battle against starvation in Haiti.
To help with the food crisis in Haiti, log onto www.FoodForThePoor.org or call 1-800-487-1158.
Contact:
Hugh Graf
(954) 427-2222 x 6610
[email protected]
