Food for the Poor

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 2020, 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.

The President of Food For The Poor is Ed Raine. [4]Ed joined Food For The Poor in October 2017, and was appointed Executive Vice President in May 2018. In that role, he oversaw many aspects of management for the organization, focusing on organizational development and strategy.

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.

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. [5] [6] 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. [7] [8] Food For The Poor also hosts an annual Building Hope Gala in Boca Raton, Florida.[9]

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.

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. [12]

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.

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.[13]

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.[13] 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 [13]

On April 11, 2018 the attorney general for the state of California, Xavier Becerra, filed a limited CEASE AND DESIST order to Food For The Poor, alleging its 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 in fines and stop using the 95% statement. The charity continues to be licensed to solicit charitable funds in the state of California.[14]

Food for the Poor responded that it upholds the highest standards of integrity and honesty and that it is confident that it will demonstrate that its accounting and valuation practices and solicitations meet and often exceed legal requirements, as well as industry best practices. It issued a public statement and is appealing the order.[15]

On September 20th, 2019, the California Attorney General's office announced that it had secured a Cease and Desist Order and over $1 million in penalties against MAP International, Food for the Poor, and CMMB (Catholic Medical Mission Board), for deceptive solicitation tactics.[16]

During the ongoing legal action, Charity Navigator did not provide a rating for Food for the Poor; instead its page for Food for the Poor declared that Charity Navigator had issued a "Moderate Concern CN Advisory" and included a (pre-judgment) link to a statement by Food for the Poor challenging the charges. [17]

• Feed the Children
• Food for the Hungry

• Official website