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FFTP Expands Innovative School Breakfast Program in Haiti
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 23, 2026) — Food For The Poor (FFTP) is expanding a transformative school breakfast feeding program in Haiti that is improving student learning and attendance while strengthening local agriculture and economic stability across multiple communities.
Launched in October 2024, the pilot program now serves 29 schools, providing nutritious morning meals to thousands of children, including 425 students at one school in northern Haiti. The initiative is made possible through the support of a major donor and in collaboration with local partners Acceso and Mèt Fèy Vèt.
Unlike traditional school feeding programs that provide lunch, this initiative focuses on breakfast, ensuring children begin their day nourished and ready to learn.
“When children start their day with a full stomach, they’re able to focus and participate throughout the entire school day,” said FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine, who traveled to Haiti in late March. “This is tested. This is working. We should be very excited.”
Teachers at participating schools say the impact is visible every day in the classroom.
“We cannot give them an education if their bellies aren’t full,” said one teacher. “Sometimes the children don’t have anything to eat before they come to school. When they arrive and receive the cassava and peanut butter, it allows them to learn better.”
The teacher said students eagerly look forward to breakfast and that school leaders, parents and educators have embraced the initiative because of the difference it is making in children’s ability to focus and participate in class.
A Program with Far-Reaching Impact
The SHINE (Strengthening Hope through Inclusion, Nutrition and Education) program provides a nutritious breakfast of peanut butter and cassava bread sourced and produced within Haiti, creating a powerful ripple effect that extends far beyond the classroom.
“The most impactful part of this is how many connections are made and how many lives are sustained, not just the children who are fed, but the farmers, producers and families who are part of making this possible,” Raine said.
Each month, the program distributes approximately 200,000 pieces of cassava bread alongside nutrient-rich peanut butter produced by Haitian farmers.
“Today, we are pleased to see the true impact of the peanut butter in the lives of the children who are consuming it,” said Gesner Josue, operations manager for Acceso Haiti. “Every month, Acceso provides 267 buckets of peanut butter for the program. We work with farmers to source the peanuts, and this program doesn’t just impact the students. It supports entire families and communities involved in production.”
Strengthening Communities from the Ground Up
The breakfast program was intentionally designed to source food locally, ensuring investments in child nutrition also support Haiti’s agricultural economy.
“Because of this program, farmers now have a stable source of income,” said Harry Nicolas, vice president of Mèt Fèy. What was once uncertain is now dependable, and it is helping revive agricultural production in these communities.”
Nicolas said the program has helped revive cassava production in several communities while reconnecting farmers, processors and local workshops into a coordinated supply network.
“It is really thanks to this program that we were able to keep this work alive,” Nicolas said. “Farmers know they will be paid. They know there is demand. That stability is changing lives.”
The impact reaches far beyond the children receiving breakfast. Hundreds of farmers, processors, transportation workers and agricultural families now participate in the supply chains that support the program.
“This is a very virtuous cycle of engagement,” Raine said. “Large-scale programs like this don’t just meet a need. They transform communities.”
Looking Ahead
With strong early results, FFTP and its partners are exploring opportunities to expand the program to additional schools and regions across northern Haiti. Raine said FFTP envisions expanding the program from 10,000 to 30,000 children.
“This is exactly the type of large-scale integrated solution we want to expand,” Raine added.
Nicolas said the existing production network is already prepared for future growth.
“If Food For The Poor chose to triple the volume, we would have no problem meeting the demand,” he said.
Maria Cassandra Brutus, director of distribution for Food For The Poor-Haiti, said local communities are eager to see the program continue.
“The students are waiting for this program,” Brutus said. “We are excited to continue growing and reaching more children.”
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States, is committed to facilitating paths out of poverty and transforming lives. As an interdenominational Christian ministry, we help families across Latin America and the Caribbean. Our efforts span urgent humanitarian relief and long-term development – from emergency aid and hunger alleviation to education, housing, and economic empowerment. We follow a distinctive approach that integrates faith, multi-sector strategies, and trusted partnerships. Whenever possible, we strive to work at the community level, partnering with local leaders and residents to co-create sustainable solutions that address the multi-dimensional nature of poverty. For more information, please visit foodforthepoor.org.
Michael Turnbell
Communications
954-471-0928
[email protected]
