Since its establishment some 24 years ago, Food for the Poor (Guyana) Incorporated (FFP) has been responsible for building more than 3,100 housing units, distributing 194 containers of food, medicine and other essentials, and the sponsorship of more than 236 orphans.
According to a press release, on June 3 of this year, FFP “celebrated 24 years of dedicated service to the poor and needy in our country.” Initially, the organisation had established its office in Kingston but had to make two subsequent moves to accommodate its expanding services and is now located at 1999 -2002 Blue Mountain Road, Festival City, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
Throughout the years, the FFP has been managed by a Board of Directors which is chaired by Paul Chan-A-Sue. Currently, the daily operations are managed by Kent Vincent, FFP’s CEO who assumed the responsibility after his predecessor and former Executive Director, Leon Davis retired after 21 years of service.
In addition to the activities mentioned, the FFP engages in the daily feeding of 192 school children from East La Penitence, Enterprise and Mashabo Primary schools, each of whom receives “a hot nutritious meal with beverages and fruits,” and the parents of those children “are also given monthly hampers,” the release said.
The sponsorship carried out by the FFP under the Angels of Hope programme is primarily for residents of ten orphanages in Guyana, all of whom “must be under the age of 18 years old to be admitted to the program,” the release said. On July 24 the programme will have its day of celebration at the Carifesta Complex Ground; all of the children admitted to Angels of Hope are sponsored by donors from the United States of America.
Besides the various charitable initiatives, FFP is “also engaged in water, self-sustainable agricultural and animal husbandry projects to name a few,” the release said.
Traditionally, most of FFP’s funding is derived from donations and fundraising activities such as: corn houses, school raffles, cake sales, and take away lunches among others, and one of the main fundraisers is its annual fundraising dinner.
The release noted that while expressing gratitude for support from donors, both local and overseas, Vincent said, “The agency is in need of more support from private businesses to carry out its operations. We need as much help as we can get. Your donation can make a difference.”
