Continuing a long-time commitment to Food For The Poor, Seaboard Marine donated US$35,000 to help the relief and development agency continue to provide necessary aid to the poor in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The donation comes at a time when the countries that Food For The Poor serves are especially hard hit by the continuing global economic crisis. Haiti, in particular, is yet to recover from four consecutive storms last year that brought economic progress it had made to a halt.

"We are grateful for this generous donation and especially for the goodwill and blessings behind it," said Robin Mahfood, executive director of Food For The Poor. "The people of Seaboard Marine have been good partners with us for many years and this is further evidence of their continued desire to help us serve the poorest of the poor."

Close relationship

The two organisations were founded just a year apart - Food For The Poor in 1982 and Seaboard Marine a year later - and have always enjoyed a close relationship, said Jose Perez-Jones, senior vice president for Seaboard.

"Both of our companies have a heart and it's not a passive heart but an active one when it comes to the needy and the poor," Perez-Jones said. "We have worked hard to build a competitive business and we have enjoyed success but we also are mindful of the human element. We feel strongly that whatever we give, we get more in return."

Seaboard Marine serves nearly 40 ports in more than 25 countries and has a private terminal of nearly 80 acres at the Port of Miami. Seaboard Marine carries more cargo to and from the Port of Miami than any other carrier. The company also works out of Houston, New Orleans, Brooklyn and Fernandina Beach.

Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organisation in the United States, serves the poor of the Caribbean and Latin America. Based in Coconut Creek, Florida, 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 97 per cent of all donations received in 2008 went toward programmes help the poor.