Taiwan’s Gift to Haiti: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Donates Rice to Food For The Poor
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 14, 2015) Today, Food For The Poor CEO/President Robin Mahfood greeted Haiti’s President, Michel Martelly, and Taiwan’s President, Ma Ying-jeou at the relief organization’s facility in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where the first shipment of 2,400 metric tons of rice has arrived. The rice is a gift from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“For more than a decade, Taiwan has been a tremendous provider of this life saving food source for hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti. This latest donation of 2,400 metric tons of rice will provide more than 63 million meals,” said Mahfood. “This is a bountiful blessing for the hungry, and we sincerely thank Taiwan’s President for this precious, life-saving gift.”
“If you’re wondering why Taiwan supports the people of Haiti,” said Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou. “There are two main reasons — the first is because I myself was a recipient of aid and rice. The international community supported Taiwan with donations in the 1950’s. The second reason is truly because of solidarity.”
After a ceremonial gift exchange and a symbolic distribution of the rice inside Food For The Poor-Haiti’s auditorium, the Taiwanese and Haitian dignitaries toured the charity’s offices and warehouse. The group, along with Taiwanese media members, also got to see the life-saving importance of rice when they visited the food distribution center. Food For The Poor provides 15,000 hot meals a day, six days a week to feed the truly destitute in Port-au-Prince. That is just a portion of the hundreds of thousands Food For The Poor feeds each day.
“Positive changes are taking place in Haiti and it’s important for our donors to know that. Since the 2010 earthquake, with the help of our donors, this organization has built more than 5,600 homes – and more than 23,000 housing units since inception. We’re helping to transform lives, one family at a time, but until the time comes when our services are no longer needed in Haiti, we want to thank Taiwan and everyone on behalf of the poor we serve,” said Mahfood.
Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor 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, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor.
Wanda Wright
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
[email protected]
