Major US food deal for Jamaica

A MAJOR food programme funded by the United States Government and awarded to Food For The Poor Inc., is scheduled to get under way in Jamaica in September, with enough food staples to feed over 150,000 people for a whole year.

The initiative, which is being channelled through the United States Department of Agriculture, involves almost 10,000 metric tonnes or over 20 million pounds of food valued at almost J$200 million, which will be shipped to Kingston by the U.S. Government in September and November of this year.

The programme, which is being funded under U.S. Presidential Initiative 416 (b), was extended to Jamaica out of concern over the number of people here who go hungry on a daily basis.

Food For The Poor Inc., headquartered in the U.S. where after 19 years in operation it is the fifth largest international charity in that country, was chosen to effect the delivery of the mostly agricultural commodities. These will be distributed through a network of local churches and missionaries.

The commodities involved are wheat, wheat flour, corn-soy milk, non-fat dry milk, rice and soybean oil, which will be targeted mainly at children and the elderly, who form the two most vulnerable groups in the society. Orphanages, hospitals, schools and homes for the elderly will be the main focal points for the distribution of the overseas aid.

The award to Food For The Poor, which is the largest ever to have come the way of the organisation, will be in addition to its long-established programmes of assistance to the needy in Jamaica, which has seen over US$253 million in aid being channelled into the island by the organisation since 1982. Over US$48 million of this amount came in during 2000.

The much-increased volume of food aid into the island through Food For The Poor has forced the ongoing construction of a new 40,000 sq. ft. warehouse at the organisation's complex in Spanish Town. The project is being fast-tracked to meet the end-of-August deadline to be ready for accommodating the U.S. shipments.

Commenting on the award, President of Food For The Poor, Robin Mahfood, noted that the charitable, non-profit organisation sent over US$875 million in assistance to 26 countries across the Caribbean and Latin America since being founded in 1982, with over US$19 million of the amount being shipped to the region in 2000.

"This extraordinary gift from the United States Government will enable Food For The Poor to expand our efforts significantly in reaching the neediest members of the Jamaican society. We welcome this opportunity to bring more relief assistance to the poor in Jamaica," he said.

In addition to large-scale initiatives in housing, education, health care, emergency relief assistance, sustainable development and micro-enterprise programmes for Jamaicans, Food For The Poor, backed by its donor base in the United States, is also forging into the establishment of fishing co-operatives in seaside communities in Jamaica. Over 40 such villages are planned to be established, with each being equipped with boats, fishing gear, refrigeration equipment, storage facilities, utility services and more, to facilitate the development of the communities involved.

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