Food For The Poor Donates $7,500 to Two Local Charities to Help Families in Need Have a Happy Thanksgiving
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 16, 2023) – Thanksgiving turkey will be in the food baskets of two South Florida charities when they distribute meals to local families just in time for the holiday, thanks to the generosity of Food For The Poor (FFTP).
On Thursday, FFTP donated $7,500 each to Essie “Big Mama” Reed, of Team of Life, Inc., in Fort Lauderdale, and to the Liberty Movement Ministry Food Bank, in Palm Beach County, to help both organizations provide meals for thousands of residents leading up to Thanksgiving.
“We primarily serve countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, but we are also part of this community,” said Ed Raine, FFTP President/CEO. “We take great pride in being able to provide assistance locally during the holidays – especially when many people are struggling to put food on the table.”
When it comes to serving the local community, “Big Mama” is a Fort Lauderdale legend, having been a beacon of support for more than three decades. She said the support she has received from FFTP over the years is a tremendous blessing for her organization.
“This means a lot to me because it will allow me to purchase the food and get it to the people in the community who truly need it,” Big Mama said. “My organization has been down for a while, but that doesn’t stop me because I know that Food For The Poor and other organizations will be there to support me.”
Liberty Movement Ministry has been feeding homeless people, the elderly and struggling families in West Palm Beach and neighboring communities in Palm Beach County for more than a decade, not only at Thanksgiving, but all year long. The ministry gets food for the side dishes through donations from the local food bank, while FFTP provides the main dish.
“This donation is a tremendous help because that’s what we’ll use to buy the turkey,” said Dr. Astley Rhoden, of the Liberty Movement Ministry Food Bank. “We rely on this donation to get the turkeys because we don’t get the turkeys from the food bank. So, if we didn’t get the donation from Food For The Poor, there would be no turkey for Thanksgiving.”
In years past, the ministry’s food bank was represented by Pastor Norman “D.C.” Perkins, who passed away in July 2020. Pastor Perkins was such an integral part of the Thanksgiving food distribution that organizers decided to keep his memory alive by naming it in his honor.
“He was a person with a heart to give and to help everybody, no matter who you are,” Dr. Rhoden said. “I made a promise that as long as I’m alive and we’re getting this donation from Food For The Poor, I’m naming the event after D.C. because this was one of his passions.”
The Norman “D.C.” Perkins 2023 Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway will be Monday, Nov. 20, from noon to 6 p.m., at the Liberty Movement Ministry Food Bank, 1301 53rd St., Units #5 and 6, West Palm Beach, Fla., 33407. Big Mama’s Team of Life Food distribution will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 21, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Team of Life headquarters, 2136 NW 8th St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 33311.
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 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 www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
[email protected]
