Volunteers Pack 1,000 Hygiene Kits at FFTP Veterans Day Event
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 15, 2023) – More than 70 volunteers came to Food For The Poor (FFTP) on Saturday to pack 1,000 hygiene kits for local veterans in need and for families in the countries helped by FFTP during the charity’s second annual Honoring Our Veterans Community Day Event.
The day began with a special program recognizing local veterans as well as FFTP team members who have served. Volunteers then moved to the charity’s warehouse to pack the kits.
Lt. Cmdr. Adonica M. Johnson was the program’s keynote speaker. She currently serves at U.S. Southern Command in Doral, a longtime FFTP partner, with the Commander’s Action Group as a Special Assistant to the Combatant Commander.
“Your commitment to South Florida’s veteran community and to our neighbors in our shared hemisphere demonstrates Christ-like compassion and love that we are all called to have,” Lt. Cmdr. Johnson said.
In her role, Lt. Cmdr. Johnson said she travels frequently to Latin America and the Caribbean, including many of the countries where FFTP helps.
“I get to see and hear firsthand some of the plights and challenges that our neighbors face,” she said. “The good news is that, like the military, Food For The Poor is also on the frontlines and has been a faithful partner helping to meet the needs and meeting many of these challenges. The heroic work that you all do makes a positive difference each and every day.”
FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said the charity is proud to honor veterans in a meaningful way.
“We honor everyone who has sought to change their lives and the lives of others by their selflessness and their sacrifice,” Raine said. “At Food For The Poor, we also exist to serve. And so, there’s this common thread here of work we can do for others more than we can do for ourselves. That sacrifice and that sense of purpose is something we all honor on this day.”
Following the hourlong program, volunteers packed disaster hygiene kits with basic necessities such as soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. The items were provided at cost to FFTP by longtime partner MAP International.
“We don’t even think about those things, and we use them every day,” said Pennie Stagnitta, Senior Manager of FFTP’s Volunteer Program and Special Events. “But for the individuals who are going to receive these kits that you pack, these items are a blessing. Our volunteers really are making such a difference.”
In addition to packing kits, volunteers also wrote personal notes of encouragement that were tucked into each kit.
Among the attendees were members of Team Rubicon, an organization started by veterans following the Haiti earthquake in 2010. “For us, it’s getting out here in the blue-sky times and not always coming in during the gray skies when there’s a disaster,” said Tiffany Thompson, Metro Administrator for Team Rubicon. “For us, we’re a veteran-led organization. To be able to get out and do something that’s going to benefit other veterans is always a plus for us.”
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 in Latin America and the Caribbean. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, 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
Communications
954-471-0928
[email protected]