Haiti Emergency Relief the Focus of Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures January 28 Gala

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
01/20/10

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 19, 2010) – Proceeds from Food For The Poor’s seventh-annual Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures gala at The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach on Thursday, January 28 will go directly to meet the urgent needs of Haiti earthquake victims. Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor's Executive Director, will share with attendees his personal journey to Haiti immediately after the devastating earthquake.

Food For The Poor/Haiti has been operational for more than 24 years and is constantly growing to meet the mounting needs of the people as they struggle to survive. Food For The Poor has an extensive distribution network through our partnership with churches, schools, orphanages and service organizations countrywide that help us meet the needs of the poorest of the poor. The Food For The Poor Haiti office in Port-au-Prince is comprised of a warehouse, a kitchen and food distribution program, a medical clinic and an office. Food For The Poor staff build houses for the destitute; distribute aid; provide support for orphans and the aged; and implement life-changing projects that include self-sustainable programs in the agricultural and fishing sectors.

The gala is chaired by Palm Beach philanthropists Robert G. and Arlette Gordon (Honorary Chairpersons), and Andres and Cathie Fanjul (Ball Chairpersons).

"Under normal circumstances FFP is able to aid people in need, and when an emergency arises like the devastation in Haiti, they are prepared to quickly move forward and answer the call of so many," said Robert Gordon.

"With the needs so great, we feel that Food For The Poor is the best way to get help to those in desperate need," said Cathie Fanjul.

Food For The Poor’s gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a superb wine tasting reception sponsored by Transatlantic Wine & Spirits and Dreyfus Ashby & Co. The event wine sponsors will specially select fine wines for the reception and dinner to enhance each course. Participating wineries include Joseph Drouhin of France and Miguel Torres of Spain.

The culinary masterpieces will be prepared by the Ritz-Carlton's Executive Chef Ryan Artim and the following guest chefs: Luke Forzano, Executive Sous Chef, Encore Wynn Las Vegas; Rey Eugenio, Executive Chef Partner, Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine of Baltimore; Kenneth J. Gilbert, Capella Telluride/Inn at Lost Creek; and Mark Ainsworth, President/CEO, Pastry Smart LLC.

Benefactors include Mary Virginia Knight and Henry Fong, Helene and Stanley Karp, Howard and Michele Kessler, Palm Beach Prayer Team Ministries, Inc., Eleanor Reeves Foundation, Herme de Wyman Miro & The International Society of Palm Beach. Sponsors include Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., Florida Crystals, Frank Crystal & Company, Southern Wine & Spirits of South Florida, TD Bank, TerraGroup, Transatlantic Wine & Spirits, International Polo Club Palm Beach, and American Nicaraguan Foundation.

Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States. This interdenominational Christian agency provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information please visit, http://www.foodforthepoor.org/palmbeach.