October 6, 2016, Spanish Town, St. Catherine: In an effort to help the thousands of Haitians who were left devastated by the fury of Hurricane Matthew on Tuesday, charity organization, Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica is making a local appeal for Jamaicans to assist.  

According to a report from the United Nations, “the destruction wrought by Hurricane Matthew has affected 350,000 Haitians and left the country facing its ‘largest humanitarian event’ since the devastating earthquake six years ago.” 

 

The Charity has advised that cash donations are the best way to help, so persons can donate at:

· http://www.foodforthepoor.org/hurricane using PayPal or

· Directly to NCB St. Jago Branch Account # 471043885 or

· Make cheques payable to Food For The Poor and drop off at our Head Office in Ellersie Pen, Spanish Town. Indicate “Haiti Relief” on the cheques. 

 

For those who would rather donate goods, the Charity is also facilitating and accepting the drop off of ONLY canned/non-perishable food items such as canned meats, canned fish, and canned milk.   

 

The locations for drop offs are as follows:

 

· FFP’s office/warehouse at Ellerslie Pen, Spanish Town, St. Catherine

· RJR Communications Group

· Stella Maris Catholic Church (8:30 – 4:30 Mondays to Fridays)

· Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church (8:30 – 4:30 Mondays to Fridays)

· The Roman Catholic Diocese of Montego Bay, 1 Fort Street, Montego Bay

· Bishop Boyle’s Outreach & Resource Centre, 66 Caledonia Road, Mandeville

· The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited

 

Persons interested in donating may also make donations through the following with canned food purchased in these supermarkets:

 

· All Shoppers Fair Supermarkets

· All Super Shoppers Fair Supermarkets

· All Hi-Lo Food Stores

· D & Y Supermarket (Savanna-la-Mar)

· All Progressive Foods Stores

· SuperValu Supermarket

· All Brooklyn Supermarkets

· John R. Wong Supermarket

· JR’s Bargain World (Linstead & May Pen)

· Loshusan Supermarket

 

“We invite everyone to rally around Haiti at this time as they go through yet another crisis. We can all remember how devastating the 2010 earthquake was…Hurricane Matthew, with its winds and rains, caused similar problems. At Food For The Poor, we want to play our part in providing some amount of relief for our less fortunate brothers and sisters in Haiti,” stated Executive Director of FFP, David Mair.  

 

He further added that, “unfortunately, we are not able to accept clothing and other kinds of donations…only canned foods. This will go a far way in the relief efforts so I encourage everyone to come on board.”

 

Already, the Charity has received a number of calls from persons interested in assisting and several companies have pledged their support.  

 

“We really want to say thanks to all the persons/companies who have already reached out to us as well as our partners who have agreed to become drop off points. This is what loving our neighbour is all about and it is greatly appreciated,” Mair said.

 

For further information, please contact 876-564-2444 (DIGICEL) OR 876-486-3002 (FLOW)

Kethron Myers, a farmer from Linstead, St Catherine, has a new lease on life after Carreras Limited and Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica intervened to build him a new two-bedroom house.

Myers, 30, recently received an eviction notice to leave the dilapidated place he called home for the last five years. Although the house leaked profusely and was in poor condition, Myers was devastated when he was asked to leave because it was his only shelter.

After hearing his story and seeing his living conditions, FFP Jamaica and Carreras Limited built a new house for Myers and his two daughters on his family’s land in St Catherine.

“Boy, I never knew what I was going to do because I was going to be homeless and someone suggested I try Food For The Poor, and so I applied,” Myers said in an interview.

Myers’ leap of faith was rewarded with a call of good news he would get a new house in September.

“I was so happy when they called and told me I would be getting a home because the way things looked, I’d lose my home and wouldn’t have anywhere to go,” Myers said.

Carreras Limited believes strongly in giving back to the communities in which it operates.

“After learning about Mr Myers’ dire need for a home, Carreras quickly mobilised both the resources as well as the efforts of our staff volunteers in constructing a new home,” said Ashleigh Arnold, Carreras Limited’s Legal and External Affairs Manager.

FFP Jamaica Executive Director David Mair said partnerships with organisations like Carreras Limited are extremely valuable.

“Without our donors, we cannot accomplish our mission of uplifting the poorest of the poor throughout Jamaica. This is why we are truly grateful for the partnership with Carreras Limited. They not only provided the funds for this need but their staff and volunteers also assisted with the actual construction of this house for Mr Myers and his children,” Mair said. “This is a very good example of good corporate social responsibility.”

Now settled into his new home, Myers said he feels like he has a new lease on life.

“Everything looks and feels new, life and its prospects feel brighter because I live in a comfortable place that is mine,” Myers said.

Because of the generosity of Carreras Limited and FFP Jamaica, Myers said he will be able to spend quality time with his two daughters. His old home restricted the time he could spend with them.

“One of my daughters is asthmatic since the roof leaked badly. I had to make her stay with her mom when it rained because of how much water would come inside the house,” Myers said. “I have to thank these organisations because they have taken me out of a bad situation that was unstable and made me feel settled and comfortable. Their work for the poor is tremendous.”

Myers’ house was constructed from funds donated by Carreras Limited to FFP Jamaica during the charity organisation’s recent 5K Run/Walk in May.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Carreras–Food-for-the-Poor-rescue-farmer-from-eviction_75667