Food for the Poor

About

Food For The Poor is one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States. The organization serves the poorest of the poor in 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, by providing lifesaving food, secure housing, clean water, healthcare, emergency relief, micro-enterprise projects and education opportunities.

Mission

To link the church of the First World with the church of the Third World in a manner that helps both the materially poor and the poor in spirit.

History

In 1982, Ferdinand Mahfood began Food For The Poor 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 $11 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, FL to Coconut Creek, FL. Currently, Food For The Poor employs more than 300 people out of its Coconut Creek location, in addition to employing members of the Clergy as speakers across the United States.

Fundraising

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 2015, 96.4% of all donations to Food For The Poor went directly to programs that help the poor, while 4.4% went to fundraising and administrative costs.

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.

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. 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

Relief efforts

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.

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. Then, 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. According to its website Food For The Poor has built 5,015 permanent two-room concrete block homes since the earthquake.