Food for the Poor aiming to expand reach to Hinterland

Jun 12, 2022 News

…as it celebrates 31 years of service in Guyana

By Davina Bagot

Kaieteur News – Guided by its belief that God is alive and can be served by helping those in need, Food for the Poor Guyana is celebrating 31 years of service.

A single mother smiles as she receives the keys to her home from Food for the Poor

A shade house project launched by the organisation to help encourage sustainable economic opportunities

Food for the Poor celebrates Christmas with the Geriatric Home

FFTP shares food items at a public distribution exercise in Mashabo, Essequibo Island, Region Two.

Young people with disabilities receive electric wheel chairs from the agency

On June 3, the organisation celebrated its 31st anniversary with a church service and day of reflection. Having served thousands of persons already on the coasts, the non governmental organisation (NGO) is seeking to extend its helping hand to persons residing in Hinterland communities.
Recognising the need for the lives of the hinterland people to also be improved, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the organisation, Jonelle DeViera said, it is looking to soon be able to reach those families. To achieve its goal, the organisation said it is looking to partner with locals to aid in transporting items into interior locations and to assist in the execution of Sustainable Community Projects.
With about 62 persons employed at Food for the Poor (FFTP), and scores of volunteers, Guyanese have been blessed through outreaches and the various distribution drives organised to hand out food and personal care items and even clothing.
The body has also been instrumental in offering monthly support to nine children’s homes, under its Angel of Hope Programme. Similarly, Food for the Poor’s feeding programme caters to more than 700 children in 10 different schools across the country. Besides that list, the organisation believes: “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” To this end, the local NGO has been supporting agricultural projects by funding pigs, sheep and poultry projects as well as shade houses.Additionally, Food for the Poor said it gives back to the government by providing medical equipment and supplies to the Ministry of Health as well as public hospitals and Health Centres across the country.
“Everything that FFTP Guyana Inc. embarks on, it is structured and geared towards promoting development. We are also focusing more on sustainable development, income generation and transformation of communities,” DeViera related.
One of the services that the organisation is particularly proud of is the construction of resource centres and furnished homes for those in need. To date, the organisation has handed over approximately 3,600 homes to families. The homes would have been constructed by the agency for persons who already owned a plot of land. Food for the Poor said they would assess the requests received to ensure they meet the criteria. For instance, single parents with school aged children are a priority for the group.
Established since June 3, 1991 in Guyana, the NGO has managed to branch out to more regions in the country, with the support of its generous local and overseas donors, but even though the organisation has grown significantly over the years, the team is hoping to expand its Sustainable Community Development Programme to be able to create jobs and livelihood opportunities.
Reflecting on the development of Food for the Poor, the PRO said that the group started off with only three persons, receiving a small number of containers per year from its parent institution, since it is an international body. Today, more than 60 persons have been employed, with as many as 180 containers being shipped to Guyana for those in need. This means that donations are now possible for almost all of the administrative regions.
FFTP Inc, according to its website, is an ecumenical Christian non-profit organisation 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.
In its vision statement, the organisation states: “Food For The Poor is God’s instrument to help the materially poor and to renew the poor in spirit.”
Life-changing
Food for the Poor holds the title of the largest charitable organisation in Guyana, providing more assistance to disadvantaged families than any other NGO or organisation in the country.
Asked to share some of the life-changing donations the NGO has made in the past year, the PRO explained that it was heartwarming to see children being able to move for the first time, through manual and electric wheel chairs donated. Persons that lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and were unable to feed their families were also assisted. In a burdened health sector, hospital beds and medical equipment were provided.
Additionally, furniture and food supplies were provided to schools.
Meanwhile, the body shared that families whose homes were flooded during last year’s rainy season also received assistance.
Donations
Apart from the support it receives from FFTP international, there are also other donors that make regular contributions to the local organisation. These would usually come from a number of groups, religious bodies and other NGOs. Local companies too would make donations upon request.
“Our theme for our anniversary is ‘Collaboration through Partnership’, thus, we welcome partnerships and any item that will benefit disadvantaged families and communities,” the FFTP representative indicated.
Individuals or businesses that would like to support the charitable body can do so by contacting Food for the Poor on 218-1553, 218-2128, or reaching out to the Facebook page – Food for the Poor Guyana or email [email protected] or [email protected]
Likewise, persons in need of help are welcomed to contact the NGO via the telephone numbers and email address provided. They can also send requests via letters or through the Facebook page.