Palm Beach Donors Raise Funds to Build Fishing Village in Haiti
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Sept. 27, 2017) A year ago, families in Haiti’s Alpha Village were living in shacks in a dump located on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, with no access to clean water or sanitation.
Today, thanks to generous donors, many of those families are living in safe, secure homes built by Food For The Poor in nearby Gressier, and soon all of them will have the dignity of having their own home.
But hope doesn’t end there. Food For The Poor donors are working to establish a fishing village to help provide these families not only with a critical source of food, but a gainful source of income.
This fall, Food For The Poor will sponsor a family friendly day of fun on the water to raise funds for the fishing village. The 2nd Annual Hope Floats Kids Dockside Fishing Tournament & Docktail Party will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Sailfish Club of Florida, 1338 N. Lake Way, Palm Beach, Fla.
Guests will enjoy a fishing tournament for kids on the docks, a docktail party for adults, live entertainment and a raffle followed by a family barbecue dinner.
Committee member Chrissie Ferguson and her father, John “Skip” Randolph, traveled with Food For The Poor to Haiti in May to see the transformation for families in Alpha Village.
“The old Alpha Village was something I can’t explain. You have to go there for yourself and smell it. They lived on a garbage dump,” Ferguson said. “It brings such joy to my heart to see the transformation. There are homes for these people. They don’t have to worry about the flooding and being in a tent at night and having no shelter.”
Food For The Poor has completed 60 homes in the new Alpha Village and 50 more are under construction, said Delane Bailey-Herd, Senior Field Representative for the charity. With the help of compassionate donors, the charity wants to bring the new community closer to self-sufficiency and better nutrition by building a fishing village.
Since 2007, 43 fishing villages have been built in Haiti through Food For The Poor and its donors. The villages dot the country’s coastline and bring essential protein and needed income to communities that previously struggled to get either one from the sea.
The new fishing village for Alpha Village will include four 18-foot fiberglass boats with outboard engines, GPS fish finders and handheld radios, fishing tackle and safety equipment, a locking storage shed, solar-powered light and access to clean water and sanitation.
The fishermen also will receive training in deep-sea fishing techniques while learning how to catch mahi-mahi, yellowtail snapper and tuna that can be used to feed their families or sold to markets to provide income.
Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma said the fishing villages are examples of hope and promise.
“I am reminded of what Jesus said to his disciples when he told them, you will go on to do greater things than I, because you believe in me,” Aloma said. “Everyone knows the story of how Jesus fed the 5,000 and now, through these fishing villages, these people will be able to feed not only themselves but their communities. They will not be eating for just a day, but will have an ongoing supply of food and the dignity that comes with having a steady income.”
Generous donors have a wonderful opportunity at Hope Floats to provide the same hope for families in Alpha Village.
Ryan and Amy Royster Bridger are committee chairs.
Tickets for Hope Floats are $150 per adult, $50 per child 12 and younger, $360 per family (includes two adults and two children 12 and younger). Attire is Palm Beach casual with no blue denim.
For more information, call Marni Wyman at 954-427-2222 ext. 6854 or email at [email protected].
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 poor primarily 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 and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. Over the last 10 years, fundraising and other administrative costs averaged less than 5% of our expenses; more than 95% of all donations went directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Michael Turnbell
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
[email protected]
