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Nativity Catholic Church Donates Over $545,000 to Food For The Poor in Support of Children and Families in Latin America and the Caribbean
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 26, 2026) – Parishioners of Nativity Catholic Church continued their longstanding legacy of supporting Food For The Poor (FFTP) and its mission with a donation of $545,612.85 through its Operation Starfish® fundraising campaign. Announced during a virtual celebration on Thursday, the gift marks nearly three decades of partnership between the two organizations to support vulnerable children and families in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Speaking from the church’s headquarters in Burke, Va., the Rev. Monsignor Robert C. Cilinski and his staff connected with FFTP at its Coconut Creek, Fla., headquarters. The gift represents a tradition of trust between the two organizations, he said.
“Today, we are very happy to continue that tradition and to present you with another check from the generous people of Nativity Parish,” he said. “We give this to you in thanksgiving to God for all that God has done for us.”
This year marks the 28th anniversary of Nativity’s Operation Starfish® campaign, which supports multiple projects each year. To date, Nativity parishioners and friends have made monetary donations totaling more than $10 million.
FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine expressed his gratitude for the gift and his appreciation for Nativity’s continued support.
“This isn’t just about writing checks,” Raine said. “This is about true commitment and the real spirit of faith in action. This is a series of building blocks that adds up to something very, very significant thanks to the people of Nativity.”
Nativity’s gift to FFTP will fund the construction of Nativity’s 15th village in Haiti, as well as a new community development in Honduras (Nativity Village 16). Additional projects will also be sponsored in Haiti, Honduras, and Jamaica.
Nativity’s Operation Starfish® campaign began with the late Fr. Richard Martin, who died from complications of diabetes in 2014. Fr. Martin conceived the idea for the campaign in 1998, while walking his dog, Pete, on the night before Lent. Thinking of the season’s sacrificial theme, he wondered if his parishioners would be willing to forego one order of french fries or one extra topping on their weekly order of pizza and donate the savings to help those in need.
Fr. Martin posed the question to the congregation, and to his delight, they raised more than $67,000 and decided to work with FFTP and build 27 homes in Haiti, the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere. The following year, Nativity officially launched the campaign as Operation Starfish®.
This year’s gift to FFTP will go toward the construction of the church’s 16th village, as well as other projects in Haiti, Honduras, and Jamaica. Located in Honduras, Nativity Villa de San Francisco, which is being built with trusted partner CEPUDO, will consist of 25 two-bedroom homes in the first phase of development. It also includes one year of food supplies, a community center, and empowerment training for residents.
Honduras is one of the poorest Spanish-speaking countries in Central America and the Western Hemisphere, with nearly 52 percent of its population, primarily in rural communities and among Indigenous people, living in poverty.
With a population of 11,982, the Villa de San Francisco municipality is approximately 34 miles east of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, in the Francisco Morazán department. The local economy is mainly based on agriculture and livestock.
In Villa de San Francisco, many families cannot afford safe homes. Poverty forces households to live in precarious or overcrowded conditions. Many families are led by single mothers who face even greater barriers to securing dignified housing.
This year’s donation also includes funding for the construction of 10 homes in Nativity’s 15th village, located in Bois-Louroux, Haiti. Nativity Village at Bois-Louroux will provide families with two-bedroom furnished homes, equipped with water, sanitation, and solar-powered streetlights. Part of the communal section of Grande Savane, Bois-Louroux is located between Grand-Bassin and Les Perches, in the Nord-Est department of Haiti.
The donation also provides funds for essential medicines and care at four clinics that Nativity previously constructed in Honduras, including Monteverde Clinic in San Francisco de Opalaca, which serves 4,687 residents; El Colirio Clinic, which serves 3,500 residents; San Juan Clinic, which serves 30,417 residents; and Guaimaca Clinic, which serves 11,400 patients.
Other projects include:
- • Construction of a multifunctional community center in Haiti to provide a dedicated space for health services, youth activities, community gatherings, spiritual fellowship and income-generating events that support long-term sustainability.
- • Funding for Nativity Villages in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, to provide operational support, backpacks, daily meals, and a Christmas celebration for 650 students and 46 staff members at three schools.
- • Construction of six three-classroom concrete school buildings throughout San Pedro Sula, Honduras with water, sanitation and restrooms.
- • Improving the living conditions at a children’s home in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, by providing better furniture and appliances that will enhance the home’s spaces and make daily life easier for the home’s 50 children and 38 staff.
- • A scholarship for tuition, fees, and housing for Malcolm-Jamal, a student from Jamaica completing his third year of medical school at the University of the West Indies.
- • Funding in support of WASH programs for the FFTP Jamaica Rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Reflecting on the parable of the starfish about a boy encountering thousands of the creatures on the shore and saving them one at a time by tossing them back into the ocean, Jim McDaniel, Nativity’s Operation Starfish® coordinator, drew the parallel between the church’s work and the child’s efforts.
“Every house that we build, every child that we educate, every illness we cure is another starfish saved from suffering and death,” he said. “And another shout to do what is right – to follow the gospel.”
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.
Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
[email protected]
