Food For The Poor Breaks Ground on Its First Sustainable Community Development in Jamaica
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2025) – Food For The Poor (FFTP) and its partners recently marked a historic milestone with a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Zion Entrepreneurial Community, the charity’s first sustainable community development (SCD) in Jamaica.
The development is being created in partnership with Entrepreneurs Across Borders (EAB) and the UpMobility Foundation. EAB is a global nonprofit that helps entrepreneurs connect with the resources they need to create jobs, sustainable livelihoods, and equitable growth in developing countries. UpMobility provides financial support and resources for projects that foster economic mobility and self-sufficiency.
In addition, the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Montego Bay generously donated the land for the Zion Entrepreneurial Community, which is located on Jamaica’s Northern Coast within the Martha Brae community in the Parish of Trelawny. The site is just 15 minutes from the historic Falmouth Cruise Port, making it easily accessible to potential partners and supporters.
The Dec. 7, 2024, groundbreaking ceremony marked a pivotal moment for FFTP as it returned to its roots to make an even more significant impact on the first country where it began working more than 40 years ago.
Since its inception, FFTP has constructed more than 36,740 homes in Jamaica. The charity now seeks to address broader community needs, including housing, education, job creation, and health care.
“We want Jamaica to be the flagship in every way,” FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “Everyone knows us for building houses, building schools, and providing relief efforts, but we’re not known for building communities in Jamaica, and that’s why we’re here today.”
SCDs, which typically take about five years to complete, involve identifying and addressing economic, social, and spiritual challenges in a community, and empowering families to be self-sufficient and able to thrive long-term. The charity currently is implementing 16 SCDs, with locations in Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
“Food for the Poor’s history was about helping one person at a time or one family at a time, and now we think more boldly by building an entire community,” Raine said. “When we work at a community level, we can do so much more than just build houses.”
Martin Babinec, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and founder of both EAB and the UpMobility Foundation, was among the speakers at the event. Babinec and FFTP staff members spent more than a decade searching the island for a location to establish an SCD in Jamaica with potential to engage entrepreneurs and other high impact resources from his network across North America.
“I am humbled and inspired by all of you showing up here on a Saturday and making memories of what we are someday going to look back at and say, ‘This was a special beginning,’” Babinec said. “Thanks to the generosity of the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Montego Bay, FFTP’s acquisition of this land is the kickoff for what makes the community of Zion possible – it’s super exciting.”
When Babinec made his first visit to Jamaica in 2006, he was immediately inspired by the optimism of the people he met, despite their economic challenges. He wanted to find a place on the popular North Coast of Jamaica, where it would be easily accessible for tourists and entrepreneurs to positively impact the community by partnering and collaborating with local leaders, as well as provide support by purchasing goods and services produced by members of the community.
“We want to help people become economically self-sufficient,” Babinec said. “We have the opportunity for this community to inspire such change with potential impact that goes far beyond the neighboring area within the Parish of Trelawny.”
EAB and their partner organizations will help provide training and educational support, offering entrepreneurship programs and mentoring services to help individuals and businesses succeed. UpMobility Foundation will provide the financial backing necessary to bring the community to life and contribute to its long-term success.
In addition to Raine and Babinec, Bishop John Persaud, Apostolic Administrator of the Montego Bay Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, and other partners/stakeholders key to the community’s success attended the groundbreaking event.
Dayle Evans, principal of Holland High School, which will help provide essential education and training for children and adults in the community; Kivette Silvera, Executive Director of FFTP-Jamaica; Tamika Plummer, President of the Zion Community Action Group Benevolent Society; and Sister John Kim, of the Kkottongnae Brothers and Sisters of Jesus, of South Korea, which will have a project adjacent to the Zion Entrepreneurial Community, as well as other stakeholders and community leaders were also in attendance.
Both Raine and Bishop Persaud credited the Most Rev. Burchell A. McPherson, retired Bishop of Montego Bay and a member of the FFTP Board of Directors, with being instrumental in the land donation. Bishop Persaud, who prayed a blessing over the land and the new community, said the project reflects the church’s mission to empower people to move from poverty to self-sufficiency.
Sharing the Biblical significance of the community’s name, Bishop Persaud said Zion is where God lives with his people, making its selection especially meaningful from a spiritual perspective.
“I can only see blessing upon blessing as this project grows,” he said, adding “you certainly have our blessing.”
About Food For The Poor
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 15 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. 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 foodforthepoor.org.
About Entrepreneurs Across Borders (EAB)
Entrepreneurs Across Borders (EAB) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2019 to empower individuals through entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs Across Borders (EAB) is dedicated to creating a global network of changemakers and fostering strong partnerships that empower emerging entrepreneurs in developing nations. By connecting passionate individuals and organizations, EAB helps entrepreneurs access the resources, mentorship, and opportunities they need to build thriving businesses and stronger communities. For more information, please visit EABorders.org.
About UpMobility Foundation The UpMobility Foundation was founded in 2015 to provide financial support, guidance and a coordinated set of partner relationships to help address the greatest needs in human development. By investing in initiatives that create sustainable opportunities for growth, development and economic self sufficiency, UpMobility helps individuals and communities reach their full potential. For more information, please visit UpMobility.org.
Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
williams.jacqueline@foodforthepoor.org
