#GivingTuesdayNow: Food For The Poor Feeds Families
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (April 29, 2020) Food For The Poor will raise funds on #GivingTuesdayNow to provide meals for destitute families impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in the countries where the charity serves.
#GivingTuesdayNow, on Tuesday, May 5, is a global day of giving and unity in response to the unprecedented needs caused by coronavirus. It’s an extension of the annual #GivingTuesday, which occurs every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Donations that Food For The Poor receives for #GivingTuesdayNow, up to $750,000 by midnight, Tuesday, May, 5, will be matched dollar for dollar. This means gifts will go twice as far to feed hungry children and their families.
“People in the countries we serve are doing the same thing we are,” Food For The Poor President/CEO Ed Raine said. “They are sheltering at home. People have lost jobs. People are not working. The countries have told us food is their number one priority. Thanks to our generous donors and dedicated partners, who are working tirelessly on the frontlines of this crisis, we will continue to provide relief.”
In Guatemala, destitute families were already affected by extreme poverty, malnutrition and lack of employment – conditions that have only worsened because of the coronavirus.
“Our social networks are full of sad stories and the slogan of staying home for many is signifying a slow death,” said Maria Alejandra Lobos Vivar, Director of Social Assistant Programs with the Order of Malta Guatemalan Association, one of Food For The Poor’s in-country partners.
“We understand the rules, and that we must be isolated, but for a people with so many limitations, that is difficult,” she said. “We need to help.”
Bishop Oge Beauvoir, Executive Director of Food For The Poor-Haiti, called coronavirus and the food shortage a deadly combination for Haiti.
Dr. Eugene Maklin, of New Hope Hospital in Haiti, said Haitian people are starving because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Please, if you can do something, do it,” Maklin said. “The needs are so great, I’m so sorry. We are trying to do our best to help the people. But the needs are so great.”
In Guyana, poor families in rural areas cannot afford to stay home because they need their paycheck to put food on the table and to pay rent and utilities.
Kent Vincent, CEO of Food For The Poor-Guyana, thanked the charity’s donors for their concern and prayers as the pandemic gets worse.
“It will be tough going ahead and we ask for help with our Angels Of Hope homes as much as you can,” Vincent said. “Pray for our country. Pray for an end to this virus. Pray for our staff and their families.”
For Trinidad and Tobago, already saddled with high unemployment and a large migrant population, the crisis could not have happened at a worse time.
“The small country of Trinidad and Tobago would not be able to make it through this crisis without Food For The Poor,” said Elena Villafana-Sylvester, Executive Director of the Foundation for Enhancement Enrichment of Life. “Thank you for helping us care for the vulnerable households in our communities.”
Food For The Poor joined the #GivingTuesday global movement eight years ago to bring awareness to the plight of the poor.
Donors can create a new tradition and visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/givingtuesday to support the charity’s #GivingTuesdayNow initiative and provide poor families with lifesaving food.
“#GivingTuesdayNow is a chance for us to stand united and provide hope to our brothers and sisters in the countries we serve,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for orphaned and abandoned children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Michael Turnbell
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
[email protected]