Volunteer At FFTP: Help Pack Holiday Meals For 1,000 Families

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 17, 2022) If you are searching for a fulfilling volunteer opportunity this holiday season, Food For The Poor has the answer. Plan to participate in its upcoming Hearts United Community Day event on Saturday, Dec. 3, when the charity will pack meal kits for 1,000 impoverished families in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The event will be at the FFTP warehouse at 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073.

“We are counting on our volunteers to help us make the holidays a bit brighter for families that are struggling in their day-to-day lives,” said Ed Raine, FFTP President/CEO. “These meal kits will be a blessing for each of the families that we are able to serve.”

The charity needs 120 volunteers to help sort and pack the donated food items. Volunteers will have a choice of two sessions, 9 to 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., said Pennie Stagnitta, FFTP’s Volunteer Program Coordinator. Holiday music and decor will add cheer to the festivities.

“We are amazed and inspired by our volunteers,” Stagnitta said. “They come in like a force ready to serve – ready to give their hearts and their time. It’s an opportunity for families, friends, co-workers and students to gather in a fun-filled atmosphere to do the Lord’s work.”

Join volunteers, who will pack 1,000 kits that will provide enough food to feed an average family of four for one week. In addition, FFTP is seeking food donations in precise quantities and sizes specifically selected to fit in each kit. The contents of each kit will include:

• Vegetable oil, one 48-ounce bottle
• Corn meal, one 24-ounce bag
• Parboiled rice, one 5-pound bag
• Elbow pasta, one 16-ounce bag
• Tuna, four 5-ounce cans
• Red beans, four 15.5-ounce cans
• Mixed vegetables, two 15-ounce cans
• Peaches, two 14- to 15-ounce cans

All items must be purchased new, with at least a one-year expiration date from Dec. 3, the day of the event.

Donors can purchase the items in person and bring them to the FFTP warehouse before the event or buy them online via AmazonSmile or Walmart For Good and ship them directly to the warehouse.

The event is a pilot project to help FFTP develop a new program for churches, businesses, groups and organizations that wish to support the charity’s work by purchasing items and hosting packing events at their facilities. Eventually, groups will be able to host their own packing event using boxes, marketing materials and packing instructions provided by FFTP. The charity will pick up the kits after they are packed and ship them to beneficiaries.

To register to be a volunteer, donate or schedule a donation drop-off, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/heartsunited.

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Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Ernestine Williams

Communications
305-321-7342
ernestinew@foodforthepoor.com