FFTP Showcases Transformational Work at We Love Foundation Gala in Miami
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (March 3, 2026) — Food For The Poor (FFTP) joined philanthropic leaders, corporate partners, and community advocates on Thursday evening for the We Love Foundation’s gala at the historic Alfred I. DuPont Building in downtown Miami, where more than 400 guests gathered to support international relief and development efforts.
As one of three featured beneficiary organizations, FFTP presented an immersive exhibit designed to help guests better understand the realities faced by families living in unsafe housing conditions and the organization’s integrated development approach.
The installation highlighted FFTP’s 10 focus areas and featured a rear-projected 4K video loop, allowing guests to walk through and explore the organization’s work across Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The kind of work your help allows us to do transforms people’s lives. This is life-changing,” FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said to guests at the gala. “The more you get to know about Food For The Poor, the more you understand that we are tackling the true problems of poverty, not just one thing, but all the solutions that are needed to truly bring people out of poverty. We’re building lives; we’re not just building things.”
The exhibit included a life-size housing display representing the “before and after” transformation experienced by families helped by FFTP. It will become part of a permanent installation at the charity’s Coconut Creek headquarters to enhance future donor and partner tours.
The immersive experience prompted strong emotional responses from attendees, including one guest who shared that the exhibit reflected the housing conditions in which she had grown up. One family was moved to fund the construction of three homes, and they hope to travel with FFTP to see the homes once completed.
Led by President Santi Chumaceiro, the We Love Foundation has impacted more than one million people through philanthropic initiatives supporting vulnerable communities across Latin America, the United States, and Europe, an approach Santi experienced firsthand last year when she, her husband Alvaro Cardenas, and two of their sons traveled with FFTP to Guatemala.
In recognition of her global leadership and commitment to expanding opportunity through strategic partnerships across Honduras, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, and beyond, Chumaceiro was presented with the 2026 Visionary Humanitarian Award by Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa on behalf of Mission: Brain.
“This is not just for me. This is for all the We Love Foundation family,” Chumaceiro said in accepting the award. “Everything we do is possible because of the people who believe in giving their time, their love, and part of themselves to others. We do this work together. Thank you for believing in our mission, and for helping us continue to serve those who need us most around the world.”
Hosted by renowned TV host, Emmy-award winning presenter and We Love Foundation co-founder Rodner Figueroa, the gala featured a live performance by Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican artist, Olga Tañón.
Among the invited guests joining FFTP leadership at the gala were Maria José Paiz, General Manager of Fundación Bi, Banco Industrial Guatemala; Luis Almagro, former Secretary General of the Organization of American States; and Enrique Hegel, President of the Order of Malta Guatemala.
Proceeds from the gala will benefit Mission: Brain, We Love Foundation, and FFTP’s housing program.
“We are deeply grateful to the We Love Foundation for the opportunity to participate in this year’s gala,” Raine added. “This partnership reflects months of relationship-building rooted in trust, and we’re honored to work alongside an organization that shares our commitment to transforming lives.”
To support FFTP and We Love Foundation’s home building campaign, please visit: http://foodforthepoor.org/welovefftp.
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]
