Food For The Poor to Present Cornerstone Award to Nativity Catholic Church on January 11
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 6, 2026) – Food For The Poor (FFTP) will honor Nativity Catholic Church with its prestigious Cornerstone Award on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the church in Burke, Va., recognizing the parish’s extraordinary commitment to serving vulnerable children and families in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Cornerstone Award, presented annually during FFTP’s Founders Day observance in February, recognizes individuals and organizations whose extraordinary contributions have helped shape the charity’s mission and vision. Founders Day also commemorates Ferdinand “Ferdy” Mahfood, who founded FFTP on Feb.12, 1982, and honors the enduring legacy of the Mahfood family.
For decades, Nativity Catholic Church has demonstrated a faith-driven dedication to helping those in need through its partnership with FFTP. Parishioners have contributed more than $9.8 million and provided over $3 million in donated goods, helping deliver life-changing support to children and families across the region.
“The good people at Food For The Poor have played a critical role in our ministry abroad. For 27 years, this partnership has brought relief and hope to people in Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and now Honduras,” said Fr. Bob Cilinski, pastor of Nativity Church. “Through all the turmoil and change in Haiti and elsewhere, your staff and our parishioners have been steadfast in our joint commitment to those who cry out for help. God has blessed us with resources, and you have guided us to use them wisely and effectively.”
FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said the Cornerstone Award reflects the same faith and generosity that defined the organization’s founding.
“Nativity Catholic Church reflects the very spirit on which Food For The Poor was built,” Raine said. “Through decades of faithful service, their parish has helped families find safety, opportunity, and renewed hope. We are deeply grateful to recognize a community whose compassion has created lasting change.”
Nativity’s long-standing commitment is rooted in its signature parish initiative, Operation Starfish®, which began in 1998 under the leadership of the late Fr. Richard Martin, then-pastor of Nativity Catholic Church.
Fr. Martin conceived the idea on the eve of Lent while reflecting on the season’s call to sacrifice. He challenged parishioners to give up small comforts, such as an order of French fries or an extra pizza topping and donate the savings to help families living in poverty.
The response exceeded expectations. Parishioners raised more than $67,000, funding the construction of 27 homes in Haiti in partnership with FFTP. The following year, Nativity formally launched Operation Starfish®, laying the foundation for what would become one of FFTP’s most enduring parish partnerships.
Following Fr. Martin’s passing in 2014, leadership of Operation Starfish® continued under Monsignor Robert C. Cilinski, who has guided the ministry for the past 11 years, building upon its legacy and expanding its reach.
That legacy was most recently exemplified when Nativity parishioners committed $719,290 through the Operation Starfish® campaign, the largest single gift in the 27-year partnership between the parish and FFTP.
The donation will fund the construction of Nativity Village at Bois-Louroux in Haiti’s Nord-Est department, the 15th village supported by Nativity parishioners. The community will provide families with two-bedroom furnished homes, access to water and sanitation, and solar-powered streetlights in an area where families currently rely on small crops and fragile housing vulnerable to severe weather.
Additional support from the gift will advance health clinics in Honduras, tuition and living expenses for Jamaican medical students, medicines for clinics, birthing kits, hospital generators in Haiti, midwife training, water purification projects, and scholarships for schools located in Nativity-supported villages.
“As we remember the vision of Father Richard Martin in starting Operation Starfish®, we rejoice in the accomplishments God has inspired us to achieve,” said Fr. Cilinski. “We renew our promise to continue serving our sisters and brothers in need. And we have faith that God will continue to bless our work. Together, we all bring each other closer to Christ.”
Across decades of partnership, Nativity’s compassion has taken root in communities where hope was fragile, transforming lives and strengthening families who once had little more than faith to hold onto.
“Nativity has shown what is possible when a community chooses compassion as its calling,” Raine said. “Their legacy is written in the lives of families who now have homes, health, and hope. It is a privilege to walk alongside them in this mission.”
About Food For The Poor
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]
