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North Broward County Indian Princess Seminole Nation chapter met at Food For The Poor, Florida’s largest charity, to learn about the plight of the destitute.

Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director, explained how just a few years ago, two little girls were found alone, sick and homeless in a swamp on the north coast of Haiti. Leonie and Milouise were wandering barefoot, dressed in rags, searching for a crumb of food to ease their hunger. The girls had orange-tinted hair, a sign of severe malnutrition. Now 10 and 8 years old, Leonie and Milouise are in school and thriving.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 14, 2008) – The Coconut Creek and Parkland based Indian Princess Seminole Nation chapter, helps form unique bonds between fathers and daughters. Approximately 30 members from the North Broward County Indian Princess Seminole Nation chapter met at Food For The Poor, Florida’s largest charity, to learn about the plight of the destitute. 

The reality of life in a First-World country is vastly different from life in a Third-World country. In the Caribbean and Latin American countries where Food For The Poor serves, destitute fathers and mothers watch helplessly as their children suffer and die from malnutrition and generational poverty.

“We were overwhelmed by the amount of support Food For The Poor gives to the needy in Third-World countries,” said Mike Mitson, Nation Chief of North Broward County Indian Princess Seminole Nation. “We were glad to make donations to help the cause, and plan for tribes throughout our Nation to make many more visits to help.”

Hearing about the food crisis in Haiti, the North Broward County Indian Princess Seminole Nation chapter members generously donated boxes of canned goods and diapers. Since Haiti’s food crisis began, Food For The Poor has more than tripled rice shipments to the island nation, but the needs are still tremendous in a country where 80 percent of the population lives on less than $2.00 a day.

“Americans are noticing that food prices in the supermarkets are higher today than they were several months ago,” said Food For The Poor’s Executive Director, Angel Aloma. “In Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, the average family spends at least 80 percent of their $2.00 daily earnings on food. The cost increase for food staples means that Haitians are now only able to purchase about a third to a half of what they previously consumed, causing more children to suffer the ravages of malnutrition and starvation.”

Food For The Poor feeds millions of destitute children and their families in Haiti. Through its expansive networks of island-wide distribution hubs, Food For The Poor supports thousands of partners feeding the poorest of the poor. Together with its donors and missionaries, Food For The Poor continues to fight the battle against starvation in Haiti.

Donations are being collected to help better the lives of poverty-stricken Haitians. Checks should be made out to Food For The Poor and include a special code “SC# 65496” so the money can be tracked to the “Coconut Creek and Parkland based Indian Princess Seminole Nation chapter” campaign.

Food For The Poor, Florida’s largest charity and the second-largest international relief and development organization in the United States, serves the poor of the Caribbean, Latin America and the U.S. Food For The Poor provides food, emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, basic housing, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. More than 96% of all donations received in 2007 went directly to programs that help the poor. For more information please visit: www.foodforthepoor.org.

The Indian Princess program is designed for Dads and Daughters, growing together, spiritually and mentally. Sponsored by the YMCA, it is a spin-off of the Indian Guides program established in the 1920’s for Dads and Sons. The purpose of the Indian Princess Program is to foster the understanding and companionship of father and daughter. For more information visit: http://seminolenation.org/index.shtml.