Food For The Poor Unveils New Broadcast Studio
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (May 12, 2021) This week, Food For The Poor President/CEO Ed Raine inaugurated a new broadcast studio at the charity’s Coconut Creek headquarters.
From the studio, the charity will be able to broadcast live with radio stations around the country and create programming and podcasts that will be available to viewers and listeners on a variety of multimedia platforms.
A key design element is the charity’s new logo displayed prominently as a brushed aluminum sign on one of the studio walls. The logo includes a cross, the strongest symbol of the Christian faith.
“Our desire is to position Food For The Poor even more as an advocate for the poor and to provide a voice for the voiceless,” Raine said.
“Through this new studio, we are going to be able to truly speak to multiple stakeholders and audiences,” he said. “We’re also going to be able to listen to them. What you’re seeing here is about how we engage and how we have a dialogue.”
The studio was envisioned by the charity’s leadership over the last year, a time when many businesses and organizations were forced to rethink how they work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FFTP’s radio team typically travels twice a year to 26 stations around the country for fundraising campaigns. Because of the pandemic, they instead connected with hosts via Zoom from a makeshift studio in a small office conference room, speaking about the pandemic, how hunger is growing and how the charity is responding.
Donna Purre, FFTP’s Director of Media Marketing, was the manager behind the planning of the studio.
“The pandemic allowed us to see that we can do something a little different and achieve even better results,” Purre said.
Drawing upon decades of construction experience, Facilities Manager John Guttuso oversaw the four-month buildout that transformed a conference room and small office off the first-floor lobby into the studio and adjoining control room.
Studio lighting can illuminate the centerpiece of the room – FFTP’s new logo – in a variety of colors, a symbol for God’s light and the charity’s mission.
Raine surprised Guttuso with the first President’s Award for Excellence in recognition of Guttuso’s contribution to the studio.
“God gives us all talents and this is one of mine,” Guttuso said. “It’s important that I gave this my effort to give to Food For The Poor to utilize to better serve the poor. It is my honor.”
Radio Manager and On-Air Fundraiser Anitra Parmele is eager to put the new studio to work.
“As Food For The Poor has identified itself as the organization for disaster relief, our radio stations can rely on us for audio, for up-to-the-minute updates as well as a chance for their listeners to make a difference,” Parmele said.
Video Production Director Ian Wood said the studio will be the hub for recording video for YouTube, podcasts and all of the charity’s social media platforms. Directors and team members, he added, can be interviewed immediately for breaking news such as a disaster in one of the countries served by the charity.
Natalie Carlisle, FFTP’s EVP & Chief Development Officer, said the studio will open new doors to connect with donors.
“It gives them additional insight into who we are and a way to expand their relationship with us,” Carlisle said.
As the ribbon was cut for the studio, Raine called it an extraordinary achievement in the charity’s history, a bridge between the strong foundation of its past and the strong possibilities of the future.
“We will not let you down in terms of the work that we now do to communicate our message and to inspire everybody to do the Lord’s work,” Raine said.
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]