They Are Providers Of Dreams

Extracts from Article published in Deacon Digest (July/August 2007) By Deacon Steve Vande Hey of the Green bay, WI diocese.

I was invited to take part in a pilgrimage by relief organization, Food For The Poor (FFP), headquartered in Florida. We originally were going to Haiti, but conditions were not safe, so it was changed to Jamaica. After several days with them, it was apparent that this ‘ministry of distribution’, a phrase coined by one of their key people, truly provided and fulfilled dreams for individuals.
It was clear from the get-go that that FFP was just not concerned with food for the people, but tended to their spirit.
Their mission statement and vision statement stressed some key points, which I discovered were actually being lived out. They are concerned with the materially poor in spirit. They clearly embraced all people. The need for regular prayer is a cornerstone; a foundation block.
Of funds collected by FFP, 96% actually get to the people in need; only 4% is spent on administration and personnel. The name Food for the Poor does not adequately capture all the areas they minister. Besides supplying food and water, FFP helps people become more self-sufficient. For example, they are the world’s largest purchaser of peda-powered sewing machines (as there is not electricity everywhere in the 16 countries they minister within). Their support of education and schools was noteworthy. They build affordable homes that provide another basic need for families – shelter, which many of us in the United States probably take for granted.The memories of our pilgrimage are forever etched into my memory. I feel blessed to have such marvelous and unique individuals, all in a very Christ-centered atmosphere, as we helped meet people’s basic needs as part of being ministers of distribution, and providers of dreams.