Shedding Light On Countries In Desperate Need

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 3, 2009) – In the rural parts of countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, Food For The Poor is shedding light on the millions of people there who need help. It is common for the organization to ship food, clothing, and even medical supplies to these countries where children and families are often forgotten. Now there are dozens of tall stacks inside the organization’s warehouse with a new kind of donation – lighting.

The large shipments of fixtures will be going directly to the poorest parts of these countries where some may be receiving lights for the first time, or where the donated lights will be used to replace old, broken fixtures.

There are more than 21,000 lighting fixtures, on about 320 pallets, inside the Christian charity’s warehouse.

“For us, turning on a light means flicking a switch,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “Most people who live in the remote communities to which we travel do not have any power in their homes. There is no electricity. So, this new lighting will be going where people congregate, where they go for help, and where there is a power source in place. This large donation is intended to help the masses, and they will be grateful.”

The fixtures will be sent to at least 10 countries including Jamaica, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Trinidad and El Salvador. It will be primarily used by those running and serving the poor in institutions supported by Food For The Poor such as hospitals, clinics, schools and orphanages.
Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. We provide emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, visit www.foodforthepoor.org.

Contact:
Aimee Vignola

Public Relations Associate

954.427.2222, ext. 6079