Minuto de Dios Honors Food For The Poor with Prestigious Award
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 23, 2020) Food For The Poor will receive one of Minuto de Dios’ highest honors at the organization’s annual Banquet of the Million in Colombia on Thanksgiving Day.
The Rafael García Herreros Order of Social Merit, named after Minuto de Dios’ beloved founder, will be presented to Food For The Poor in the House of Nariño, the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Colombia. Colombian President Dr. Iván Duque Márquez will preside over the event.
“We receive this award with humility, honor and grateful acceptance,” said Food For The Poor President/CEO Ed Raine.
“We are deeply grateful to the entire team at Minuto de Dios for all that has been achieved so far, and for what is ahead of us,” Raine added. “Our partnership is of the highest value to us as we jointly seek to serve the poorest of the poor in Colombia. This has been a true blessing from God.”
FFTP’s Monitoring and Evaluation Manager Astrid Cortes, who is from Colombia, will accept the award on behalf of FFTP. The two organizations began working together in 2019.
“I reiterate our appreciation for the work of Food For The Poor, especially as an ally of Minute de Dios in helping poor people and families in Colombia,” said Fr. Diego Jaramillo, President of Minuto de Dios.
For nearly 60 years, the Banquet of the Million has brought together Colombians at a humble dinner of bread and soup to raise funds for families living in poverty.
This year’s theme is economic reactivation for microbusiness. Minuto de Dios’ goal is to help 40,000 small businesses in 10 cities across Colombia.
FFTP began serving in Colombia in 2014. Since 2019, the charity has partnered with Minuto de Dios to bring relief to families, including tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants who have fled to escape shortages of food, water and medicine.
This year, the charity sent multiple containers of goods to Colombia to help families reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic’s disastrous effects on public health and the economy, with much of that aid distributed by Minuto de Dios.
Now, the two organizations are set to work together on a sustainable community development project that will help get families back on their feet beyond the pandemic and lift future generations out of poverty.
“This important work is helping the poor land jobs, teaching valuable skills and providing the equipment and tools to succeed,” FFTP’s Raine said. “This is our shared vision. Together, we are united in God’s work.”
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 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]