Food For The Poor Restores Dignity and Freedom Through Prison Ministry Program
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (April 17, 2025) – This Holy Week, 53 prisoners walked out of prison as living testaments to compassion, mercy, and the power of second chances, thanks to Food For The Poor’s (FFTP) Prison Ministry Program.
With support from generous donors, the charity paid the fines of nonviolent offenders in Haiti and Guyana, giving them a fresh start and reuniting them with their families.
For more than two decades, at Easter and Christmas, FFTP has paid the fines of incarcerated men and women whose only crimes were often acts of desperation, such as stealing food to survive or other nonviolent petty crimes.
- • Fifty prisoners were released from four correctional facilities in Haiti, including Cap-Haïtien, Grande Rivière du Nord, Fort Liberté 1, and Fort Liberté 2. Each person received one case of beans, mackerel, bedding, blankets, clothing, shoes, plus money to cover travel expenses to get home.
- • Three prisoners were released in Guyana on Tuesday. Each man received a care package comprising a food hamper, clothing, toiletries, footwear, lunch, a loaf of bread, and traditional Easter cross buns. They were also given a Bible and money to assist with the cost of returning home.
- • No prisoners were eligible to be released in Jamaica, which traditionally participates in the biannual program.
In Haiti, Jude, 40, said he was arrested for unknowingly buying a stolen phone and spent time in prison for it.
“Food For The Poor reminded me that I am not forgotten,” Jude said. “They helped restore my dignity and gave me a second chance at life.”
FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine emphasized the critical importance of the charity’s Prison Ministry as a unique and often overlooked program.
“We don’t talk about it very often,” Raine said. “But our Prison Ministry Program is about helping people who committed minor offenses and simply can’t afford to pay their fines. These are often people who steal to feed their children or made one mistake, and without support, they have no way out. This program gives them a path forward.”
Raine added that FFTP goes beyond prisoner release by improving prison conditions where possible.
“We’re one of the few organizations that actively engage with prisons to understand what’s needed,” he said. “In Haiti, for example, we’ve helped refurbish prison kitchens to ensure prisoners are fed. In many cases, prisoners were starving due to lack of resources. Our work reflects the heart of our mission – to help those who truly cannot help themselves.”
In Guyana, three men – Cyril, Alex, and Rowal – walked out of the Guyana Prison Service Headquarters as free men after FFTP-Guyana paid their outstanding court fines.
“This act of mercy is symbolic of what Easter represents – hope, redemption, and new beginnings,” said Valini Leitch, Senior Project Associate of FFTP-Guyana. “We believe everyone deserves a second chance, and we are proud to stand with these men as they embark on a new path.”
One of the released prisoners, 21-year-old Alex, said that he had been exploited by a previous employer while working as a farmhand and became frustrated after receiving no pay. This led to a disorderly conduct charge and his inability to pay the resulting fine. Alex said he learned a valuable life lesson and was determined not to return to prison.
James Gittens, a former prisoner and now an employee of FFTP-Guyana, addressed the three men with encouragement and wisdom.
“Plant these new seeds you’ve been given on fertile ground,” Gitten said. “Don’t let the bad habits of the past influence the path you choose from here.”
How You Can Help:
Support the Prison Ministry Program by sending a check to Food For The Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. Please include reference number “SC# 074122” for proper routing. Online donations can be made here.
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.
Michael Turnbell
Communications
954-471-0928
[email protected]
