Food For The Poor 2022 Annual Report: Adopting New Strategies That Empower Communities to Thrive
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (May 24, 2023) Food For The Poor (FFTP), one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States, provided more than $442 million in aid in 2022, thanks to the generous support of its donors.
Included in the charity’s newly released 2022 Annual Report, the total support of cash and donated essential goods enabled FFTP to remain steadfast in its mission to provide relief, recovery and resilience to help impoverished families in the Caribbean and Latin America.
“The economy has been challenging for FFTP, other charities and many of our donors,” said Ed Raine, President/CEO of FFTP. “We are blessed, however, in that we have been able to continue and even broaden our work. By adopting new strategies, we expanded our services and created new programs that have been extremely beneficial.”
The charity’s annual report highlights its focus on being a learning organization, building lives as well as building homes and schools, working with like-minded in-country partners, monitoring its progress to ensure better outcomes and sustained impact, and being resilient in how it responds to emergencies.
“We are a learning organization, anxious to understand how we can work more efficiently and effectively – that’s No. 1,” Raine said. “Our team members identify and share best practices that make the greatest impact with the resources available.”
It was during 2022 that FFTP ramped up purchasing food locally in the countries where it serves, reducing international shipping costs and getting resources to the families who need them sooner.
“It’s very much a change in strategy,” Raine said. “We’re getting goods to the point of need much more quickly, and we’re also supporting the local economy.”
As FFTP continues to build homes and schools, its focus is expanding to include sustainable community development by identifying and addressing economic, social and spiritual challenges in a community, and empowering families to be self-sufficient and able to thrive long term. Highlights in the annual report include:
- Building Palma Real, located in Granada, Colombia, the first large-scale sustainable community development constructed by FFTP and partner Corporación Minuto de Dios.
- Partnering with Acceso in a seed-to-market program for rural smallholder farming families. Acceso provides training, supplies and low-interest loans that the farmers repay with produce. The food is directed to existing FFTP feeding programs, providing locally sourced meals and snacks to 5,000 children in Colombia and Haiti.
- Adding Ecuador and Peru to the list of countries where FFTP helps. In Ecuador, a new project will provide consistent water for residents in Visote-Nueva Esperanza. In Neshuya, Peru, a cacao pilot project aims to improve living conditions and increase the income of 500 cacao-farming families.
- Responding to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Haiti, where FFTP-Haiti distributed food kits to 492 women through a program that cares for malnourished children and young mothers.
- Distributing generators and emergency aid to families in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona in partnership with Caritas de Puerto Rico and Iglesia Episcopal Diócesis de Puerto Rico.
- Distributing emergency relief supplies to families in the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Fiona in partnership with Asociación Dominicana de la Orden de Malta Caritas República Dominicana.
- Distributing emergency relief supplies to Southwest Florida families in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in partnership with the Florida Catholic Conference, Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church and Casa de Su Presential.
- Building the Medical Center for Children with Cancer in Honduras in partnership with in-country partner CEPUDO and the Honduran Foundation for Children with Cancer. The center provides chemotherapy for children daily and does not charge for any treatments.
- Shipping 2,691 tractor-trailer loads of essential goods valued at more than $386 million in 2022.
- Expanding the FFTP volunteer program, which grew from 80 volunteers in 2021 to 872 registered volunteers who contributed more than 2,772 hours throughout 2022.
In addition, the annual report includes a tribute to FFTP founder Ferdinand “Ferdy” Mahfood, who passed away in February 2023. Also recognized is Ferdy’s brother Robin Mahfood, who began his tenure as President/CEO of FFTP after Ferdy’s retirement in 2000 and remained for nearly 20 years.
“Ferdy answered God’s call when he founded Food For The Poor, and his family supported him in every way possible,” Raine said. “We are grateful to Ferdy and Robin for their visionary leadership, and we’re honored to continue their legacy.”
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
[email protected]