Food for the Poor

Food For The Poor, Inc.
Founded 1982
Founder Ferdinand Mahfood
Type Non-profit organization
Focus Impoverished people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean
Location
Area served
Seventeen countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean
Method Direct assistance of churches and charity organizations operating within in-need areas through the delivery of food, medicine, housing, and other vital goods
Key people
  • Robin Mahfood (President, CEO)
  • Angel A. Aloma (Executive Director)
Employees
350+ (2012)
Website www.foodforthepoor.org

Food For The Poor, Inc. (FFP) is an ecumenical Christian nonprofit organization based in Coconut Creek, Florida, United States that provides food, medicine, and shelter, among other services, to the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Food For The Poor, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation.[1]

History

In 1982, Ferdinand Mahfood began Food For The Poor [2] to aid the poor and downtrodden in Latin America and the Caribbean. Clergy members of many Christian denominations, including Episcopalian, Lutheran and Roman Catholic, are the core of the organization, preaching throughout the United States about the need in the countries they serve.

Since 1982, Food For The Poor has distributed more than $12 billion worth of food, medicine, housing materials, water and other aid to the poor of the Caribbean and Latin America. In 2007, the charity migrated its headquarters from Deerfield Beach, Florida to Coconut Creek, Florida. As of 2010, Food For The Poor employs more than 300 people out of its Coconut Creek location,[3] in addition to employing members of the Clergy as speakers across the United States.

Leadership

The President of Food For The Poor is Robin G. Mahfood. [4] As one of the original founders of Food For The Poor, Mahfood previously served as Executive Vice President and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the corporation since its inception in 1982.

The Executive Director is Angel A. Aloma [5] [6] who oversees fundraising and communications for the organization. In his 21 years as a teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Aloma led numerous mission trips with his students to Caribbean countries.

Fundraising programs

Food for the Poor aids the poor through donations of money and supplies, mostly from the United States. A majority of the organization's revenue is from donated goods.

In 2016, 95.6% of all donations, including donated goods, to Food For The Poor went directly to programs that help the poor, while 4.4% went to fundraising and administrative costs. [1]

Champions For The Poor is a personal fundraising program that was founded in 2009 and lets supporters create webpages to raise funds for the poor in the Caribbean and Latin America. [7] [8] The micro-site is hosted by personal fundraising software company Classy.

Angels of the Poor is a monthly giving program that features former Charlie's Angel, Cheryl Ladd, as its spokesperson. [9] [10] Food For The Poor also hosts an annual Building Hope Gala in Boca Raton, Florida.[11]

Charity programs

Food For The Poor provides, as its main objective, nourishment to the poor. The organization also erects homes for homeless families, supplies medicine and health care in hospitals and clinics, subsidizes orphanages, and teaches children and adults by providing training.

Angels of Hope

Food For The Poor has an orphan sponsorship program that operates in many of the countries it serves in Latin America and the Caribbean. [12] [13] According to its website, over 6,100 orphans are sponsored in the program.

Targeted crisis relief programs

In addition to its general community development and direct aid programs designed to reduce poverty and malnutrition, Food For The Poor provides targeted relief for humanitarian crises. On January 11, 2010, it announced initial success in introducing a new food source, the Basa fish, for the critically malnourished nation of Haiti.

On January 13, 2010, it announced a major relief effort directed toward the people of the same nation to help recovery from the catastrophic January 12 earthquake which struck Port-au-Prince. Food For The Poor has built 16,204 housing units since the earthquake. Additionally, 44 schools were built or restored in the Port-au-Prince region.

Shortly after Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti on Oct. 3, 2016, the charity set a goal to build 1,000 housing units in 100 days. The charity’s teams in Haiti were able to build 1,086 housing units in 114 days, and now are helping storm victims replant crops and rebuild livestock to offset growing food scarcity

Partners

Food For The Poor partners with local organizations in the countries where they work. Jamaica, the first country assisted by Food For The Poor, today includes more than 1,800 churches as partners in the distribution of food, medicine, educational supplies and other needed items.

Since 1989, the charity’s street feeding program in Kingston, Jamaica has been operated in partnership with the Salvation Army. [14]

Haiti, the largest recipient of aid from the charity, has an expansive network of island-wide distribution hubs, and supports thousands of partners in feeding the poorest of the poor.

Some of our other major partners include: American Nicaraguan Foundation, Caritas, CEPUDO, Fundación Nuevos Horizontes, Living Water, and Order of Malta.

Controversies

The Palm Beach Post has documented controversies involving Food For The Poor. In 2000, Ferdinand Mahfood resigned as CEO amid allegations he diverted money to two female employees with whom he was sleeping. Ferdinand Mahfood ultimately admitted misappropriating $275,000 from FFP and took steps to pay the money back.[15]

Ferdinand's brother, Robin Mahfood took over as CEO amid the crisis. Between 2003 and 2007, FFP paid out $1.9 million in salary and benefits to five of his relatives.[15] Until 2008, FFP also did business with two for-profit companies run by Mahfood's family, buying in four years more than $200,000 worth of sodas and knee-high water boots in deals Mahfood had a hand in approving. CEO Robin Mahfood received a salary of $364,874 in 2008 [15]

On April 11, 2018 the attorney general for the state of California, Xavier Becerra, filed a CEASE AND DESIST order to Food For The Poor, alleging their claim that 95.6% of all donations, including donated goods, to Food For The Poor went directly to programs that help the poor[1] was incorrect and misleading and that the actual number (for 2013) was 66.2% of cash donations. The state also claims that the charity used improper accounting techniques where they would take the inflated US retail value of expiring pharmaceuticals that were donated or made available by Pharma companies for delivery to third world countries and count that value the same as cash donations. The state is ordering that the organization pay $1.088 million dollars in fines, stop using the 95% statement and are revoking its permits to solicit charitable funds in the state of California.[16]

Food for the Poor responded that they uphold the highest standards of integrity and honesty, and they are confident that they will demonstrate that their accounting and valuation practices and solicitations meet and often exceed legal requirements, as well as industry best practices. They issued a public statement.[17]

See also

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 "Charity Navigator, Food For The Poor". charitynavigator.org. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  2. ↑ "Reality Beats Mahfood's Wildest Dreams". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  3. ↑ Dear, John (2010-11-16). "Don't forget 'Food For The Poor'". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  4. ↑ "Food For The Poor, Food For The Poor". nrb.org. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  5. ↑ "Food for the Poor's Angel Aloma and Mike discuss ways you can help those who are less fortunate". mikeonline.com. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  6. ↑ "Food for the Poor begins shipping donations to islands affected by Hurricane Maria". www.local10.com. 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  7. ↑ "Sunshine Opthalmic. Why we give back". sunoph.com. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  8. ↑ "VTS Helps Build Beauty From Ashes". vtshomes.com. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  9. ↑ "Food for the Poor holds Fine Wines gala with Cheryl Ladd". palmbeachdailynews.com. 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  10. ↑ "Cheryl Ladd Food For The Poor Haiti - YouTube". youtube.com. 2016-10-17. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  11. ↑ "Food For The Poor gala to fund homes in Haiti". Sun-Sentinel.com. December 19, 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  12. ↑ "Food For The Poor holds Angels of Hope Festivals". www.mnnonline.org. 2005-07-05. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  13. ↑ "Local companies, Food for the Poor Guyana Inc. host Angels of Hope Day for Orphans". kaieteurnewsonline.com. 2015-07-26. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  14. ↑ "Food For The Poor, Salvation Army Treat Poor And Homeless". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2013-12-26. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  15. 1 2 3 Palm Beach Post. "Family behind flourishing Coconut Creek charity survives past scandals, renews focus". Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  16. ↑
  17. ↑
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