Food For The Poor Donates to Two Local Charities to Help Families Have a Happy Thanksgiving
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 20, 2024) – An annual tradition of Food For The Poor (FFTP) supporting two South Florida charities in their Thanksgiving meal giveaways took a heartwarming turn on Wednesday, when FFTP visited one of the charity’s headquarters to present the donations in person.
FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine and his team visited Essie “Big Mama” Reed, at her home located, next door to the headquarters of her charity, Team of Life Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to present a $7,500 donation to support Reed’s annual Thanksgiving dinner giveaway. Representatives of Liberty Movement Ministry in West Palm Beach traveled to Fort Lauderdale to receive a $7,500 donation from FFTP, as well.
“Nearly everything we do is international – we serve 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Raine said. “But at Thanksgiving, it’s all about home. It’s 30 years of tradition of reaching into our community and serving others. Big Mama and Liberty Movement Ministry have done extraordinary work.”
FFTP’s support over the past three decades has been a tremendous help to Team of Life, Reed said, noting that she intends to feed 3,000 families during the holiday. With the help of FFTP and other supporters, she will distribute turkey, ham, chicken, pork shoulders, rice, and sweet potatoes that can be prepared for Thanksgiving, as well as hot meals that she also will distribute on the day of the giveaway.
“We’re going to begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday and it’s going to be a great day for those families who come through,” Reed said, noting that her mother was her inspiration to give. “That’s all she did during the holiday season. She took care of her family first and then it spread out from there.”
One tradition that Raine was happy to break was presenting the donation at FFTP’s headquarters in Coconut Creek, Fla.
“You know, all the action is in the community, whether it’s internationally or locally,” Raine said. “So, why wouldn’t we want to come out and just be part of that reality of seeing where it all comes together?”
Liberty Movement Ministry supports unhoused people, the elderly, and struggling families in West Palm Beach and neighboring communities in Palm Beach County, not only at Thanksgiving, but all year long. Last year, with the help of FFTP and other donors, the charity distributed more than 600 turkeys and 300 chickens, as well as about 200 gift cards, to help with holiday meal preparation, said Bishop Astley Rhoden, program director at Liberty Movement Ministry.
“This donation helps to amplify what we can do – we will reach a lot more people,” said Pastor Clive Atkinson, who represented Rhoden in his absence. “We appreciate this partnership, and we look forward to it every year.”
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.
“We are so grateful that Food For The Poor hasn’t forgotten D.C. and the work that he did,” said Perkins’ wife, Dionne Marshall, who was unable to attend this year’s presentation. “Our family is so appreciative – this work was his passion.”
Bishop Rhoden recalls inviting Perkins to volunteer and support the giveaway. He fondly remembers Perkins’ enthusiasm and determination to help those in need. “He never stopped, until the good Lord called him home,” Rhoden said.
The Norman “D.C.” Perkins 2024 Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway will be Monday, Nov. 25, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Liberty Movement Ministry food bank, 1301 53rd St., Mangonia Park, Fla., 33407. Team of Life will begin distributing meals on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 5 p.m., at 2136 NW Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 33311.
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.
Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
[email protected]
