Rising Prices Challenging Aid Organizations

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (May 2, 2008) – Food prices continue to climb, gasoline is near an all time high, the Fed has cut interest rates yet again, and many nonprofits say they’re being challenged by an increased demand for aid.

Florida-based Food For The Poor, one of the largest relief and development agencies working in Haiti, says it has more than doubled rice shipments to the island nation but it is still not enough.

“People think I’m joking when I ask them to search under cushions for loose change,” said Food For The Poor’s Executive Director, Angel Aloma.  “But with such a huge jump in the prices of food staples and transportation costs, we’re looking for all the help we can get to keep up with the need in Haiti – no matter how small.” 

In a country where an estimated 80% of the people live in abject poverty and most try to scrape by on less than $2.00 a day, Aloma says the skyrocketing cost of food means more Haitians are going hungry and that Food For The Poor needs more donations to keep up with demand.

“Last year we sent an average of 880,000 pounds of rice to Haiti every month,” says Aloma.  “This year, we’re sending 1,763,000 pounds and it is a real challenge to keep up with the increased demand.”

Through its own feeding centers in Haiti, Food For The Poor feeds more than 20,000 destitute Haitians every day.  Food For The Poor’s distribution center regularly supplies food to hundreds of thousands of hungry Haitians through its partnerships with schools, orphanages, churches, hospitals and homes for the aged. 

To help with the food crisis log onto www.foodforthepoor.org/donate/haiti, or call 1-800-487-1158.

Food For The Poor is the second largest international relief and development organization in the nation.  With more than 96% of all donations going directly to programs that help those in need, Food For The Poor provides nourishing food, safe shelter, necessary medical care, educational materials, support for orphans and the aged, and much more to the poorest of the poor in 16 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.