Recommending a charity can be tricky business. Part of the hesitancy comes from wondering how much of the money donated is really put to good use. In this tough economy, we all want to make sure our donations are going to make a difference.
I recently became aware of Food for the Poor while attending mass at St. Ann's in Marietta. Food For The Poor, Inc. serves 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Working with the poorest of the poor they provide food, medicine, educational supplies, micro-enterprise development, and housing in areas ignored and under-served.
This ecumenical Christian nonprofit organization is impressive for several reasons. It is the third-largest international relief and development organization based in the U.S.
Founded in 1982 by Ferdinand Mahfood, and according to its official website, this organization has distributed more than $8.2 billion worth of food and built close to 73,605 housing units for the needy.
More importantly, this charity knows how to make the most of each and every donation. Charity oversight organizations like Charity Navigator and Ministry Watch give this organization very high ratings. Fully 96% of all donations received go directly to programs that help the poor. This is a very impressive statistic, one that more charities should attempt to emulate.
When checking a donation box on their modestly produced solicitation materials, I was impressed to be able to choose where my donation was going. It is humbling to see how much can be accomplished with small amounts of money.
For example, $21 will provide a meal for 420 children, $36 will feed three families for a month, and $90 will provide a goat to supply milk!
My personal favorite, a $205 donation will provide a village with a water pump! This is such a small amount of money for providing a village with access to fresh, drinkable, life sustaining water!
Larger donations do even more, including providing housing with sanitation for needly families. This is a charity well worth your investigation.
Comments