Miami-Dade County, MSC Foundation Team Up With FFTP To Help Haiti
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 1, 2021) Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, PortMiami and MSC Foundation partnered with Food For The Poor on Wednesday to pack lifesaving aid in response to the ongoing crisis in Haiti.
Nearly three dozen volunteers traveled to the charity’s Coconut Creek warehouse to sort and pack 1,782 pounds of food, 182 baby kits and 146 cleaning kits in less than two hours, all destined for Haiti. They also brought food and toys to donate.
MSC Foundation donated one container that FFTP filled with other relief items for Haiti, and four additional containers in Haiti that will be used by FFTP-Haiti to transport goods to families in desperate need.
Mayor Levine Cava reinforced the fact that the Haitian people are not only hurting from the aftermath of the August 14 earthquake but also continue to suffer from the COVID-19 pandemic and political instability.
“We are extremely grateful for MSC’s partnership and commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to the Haitian people during this difficult time,” the mayor said.
“We have the largest Haitian American population in the entire country in South Florida. These are our friends and neighbors and co-workers,” the mayor added. “Food For The Poor has the track record and has demonstrated over many years that they can truly get to those in need.”
Joining the mayor were Juan M. Kuryla, CEO and Director of PortMiami, and Alessio Lombardi, Trade Manager, Central America & Caribbean at MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, in addition to staff from the mayor’s office, the port and Miami-Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime’s office.
Monestime, the first Haitian American elected to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and the first to chair the commission, expressed gratitude for the thoughtful response of FFTP and to MSC Foundation.
“I know these efforts will create new avenues for the people of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora as they continue to make vigilant efforts toward recovery and reconstruction,” said Monestime, who was unable to attend.
Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman and Chair of the MSC Foundation Executive Committee, said, “We are proud to work with partners that allow us to respond quickly to situations of need, deploying our capabilities of reach, scale and breadth of resources in concrete actions to alleviate suffering and improve health outcomes.”
Vago added, “This prompt initiative of the Miami-Dade County Mayor with Food For The Poor to coordinate humanitarian assistance and emergency aid for the people of Haiti shows how great challenges can be overcome by a combined response, working together with dynamism and passion like one big family.”
FFTP Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Khouri thanked the Miami-Dade officials and MSC Foundation for continuing to support Haiti.
“It is wonderful to see so many coming together to help Haiti in its time of need,” Khouri said. “The food, cleaning kits and baby kits will go a long way to alleviate suffering as families recover and as Food For The Poor executes on a strategy to build new homes for families who were displaced.”
Watch a video about the Miami-Dade and MSC Foundation packing event: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q37c3_ukOw
About MSC Foundation
The MSC Foundation utilises MSC’s global reach and unique knowledge of the sea to take immediate action that contributes to protecting and nurturing the blue planet and all its people. The Foundation helps disaster-struck populations toward recovery and support vulnerable communities around the world to realise their full potential through education, sustainable development and medical humanitarian projects. For more information, please visit www.mscfoundation.org
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 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean 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 www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Michael Turnbell
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
[email protected]