Orlando’s Celebration of Hope Surpasses Home-Building Goal
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 24, 2015) – Thanks to the loving generosity of the Orlando-area residents who attended the Celebration of Hope Gala at the Orlando World Center Marriott, 41 destitute families in La Fosse, Haiti, soon will have new homes.
“It’s difficult to imagine that nearly six years after the earthquake, thousands of families are still in need of permanent shelter in Haiti. Food For The Poor builds two-room, concrete block homes with zinc roofs, locking doors, and a front porch. The homes also include access to clean water, solar-power technology, and a bathroom with a flush toilet and shower,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “I sincerely want to thank Dr. Lynne Nasrallah and the Orlando gala committee members for the amazing work they’re doing to transform the lives of families throughout Haiti.”
The 16th annual event featured dining, dancing, and a live house rally, which was the highlight of the evening. It was during the house rally that the goal of 30 homes was exceeded, allowing Food For The Poor to build an additional 11 safe and secure houses for residents still recovering from the 2010 earthquake.
Dr. Nasrallah, the gala chairwoman and a member of Food For The Poor’s Board of Directors, has worked with the relief and development organization for 16 years. With the support of Orlando-area donors, they have built eight villages and nearly 900 homes in Haiti.
“Each person has been specially created by God in heaven and He has never created a child that He wants to throw away, give away and let die tragically because the neighboring country or the neighbor was not able to give,” said Dr. Nasrallah. “I told them, ‘God hears the cry of the poor’ and He heard the cry of the poor from Orlando to La Fosse. We are here now to work with Food For The Poor and their donors to take them out of this miserable plight.”
Visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/lafosse to see what life is like for families in La Fosse, Haiti.
In addition to bidding on silent auction items, those who attended the gala on Saturday, Oct. 17, learned about Food For The Poor’s ongoing projects in Haiti from Food For The Poor’s Haiti Project Manager Delane Bailey-Herd and Radio Marketing On-Air Fundraiser, Paul Jacobs.
To support the house-building projects in Haiti, please call 888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/orlando.
Celebration of Hope gala executive committee members include: Anibal and Maritza Beltran, Cynthia Hawkins, Patty Holland, Dr. Anis Khalaf, Kathy Kinchla, Bernadette McComb, Rob and Elizabeth O’Brien, Ryan Shaughnessy. Additional committee members include: Linda Linda Bonnewitz, The del Campo Family, Janice Chong, The Compas Family, Trevor and Freda Dieffenthaller, Jason Gingras, Vernon Lee, Dan McCartney, Nicole Nasrallah, Robin Neel, Joanne and George Olson, Lisa Ortiz, Nancy Padilla, Patricia Perfito, Anne Pinkosh, The Santana Family, The Wilkes Family, Holly Wilson, Jean and Donna Wilson, and Maureen Winger.
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 in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans andthe aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor.For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Wanda Wright
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
[email protected]