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| Members of a family in Simon district, Sligoville in St Catherine, stand outside their new home donated by Food For the Poor. |
Spanish Town, Jamaica – May 3, 2013 – Food For The Poor Jamaica has noted complaints expressed in sections of the media and by a parish councillor in Trelawny, about the distribution of its houses in the parish.
Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, FFPJ explained that while the charity has the final approval for housing recipients under the Ministry of Housing (MOH) /Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) wooden housing programme according to its established guidelines, the organization welcomes recommendations from community leaders.
He is therefore urging persons who recommend applicants for FFP houses to be "more selective about whom they propose, before submitting those recommendations to FFPJ and ensure they start with the most needy in their area or constituencies." When applying for a Food for the Poor house, the prospective beneficiary must provide: a letter of recommendation briefly explaining the current situation that he/ she is experiencing. This must be written, preferably by a religious minister, Justice of the Peace or Notary Public.
The charity has also committed to increasing the rigour of its verification process. The Chairman advised that recent investigations in South Trelawny have revealed that the majority of the homes distributed were in fact for needy families. In the few cases identified where greater priority could have been placed, the Chairman has asked his team to see how these can be accommodated.
Mr. Mahfood has issued a special appeal to members of the public to contact FFPJ immediately, and report any beneficiaries or potential beneficiaries who they believe might not be deserving of FFPJ's assistance. They may also report on those that need emergency assistance.
He is further reminding the public that no one must receive any financial contribution for any of its wooden homes. To report queries or concerns to FFPJ, citizens may call: 984-5005 or email: FFPJinfo@foodforthepoorja.org
Food For The Poor (FFP)-Jamaica is the largest charity organization in the country. Food For The Poor Inc., located in Florida, USA, was named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the United States. It is an interdenominational Christian agency that does much more than feed the millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America.
FFP 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% of all donations going directly to programmes that help the poor. For more information visit our Web site at www.foodforthepoorja.com
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Contact:
Erica James-King, PROComm, T: 926-6740 or 564-5277
Petri-Ann Henry, Food For The Poor, T: 984-5005 or 564-2886
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