MIAMI – Miami-Dade Commissioners Barbara J. Jordan, Audrey M. Edmonson, and Dennis C. Moss returned from an eye-opening trip to Haiti on Monday, August 4 where they helped feed people from one of the most impoverished communities. The commissioners flew to Port-au-Prince early Monday morning along with Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international aid agencies in the U.S. and a world leader in programs to help the poor, was the recipient of nearly 20 tons of food collected in Miami-Dade County to go to needy families in Haiti.
Commissioner Jordan, who authored legislation organizing the food drive, made a promise to see that the donated goods went to the families who needed it most. “When you have collected food for a cause such as this, rarely do you get the opportunity to see the food put to use,” said Commissioner Jordan. “I just wish we could do it every day.”
Commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson (left) and Commissioner Barbara J. Jordan serve rice to Haitians at the Port-au-Prince Food for the Poor Facility on August 4.
The commissioners helped provide food for hundreds of families, filling up pails and bags with rice, soup, and other items. “This is something when we as Americans complain that we don’t have something – for the first time, I saw I have nothing to complain about,” said Commissioner Edmonson, who co-sponsored Commissioner Jordan’s legislation. “I would like to see the food drive continue.”
At the August 4 press conference upon their arrival at Miami International Airport, Commissioner Moss brought back a mud cookie, soil baked in the sun, that many Haitians eat to stave off hunger. “Haiti could potentially be a disaster of epic proportions if we don’t do more.”
Mr. Aloma also took the commissioners on a tour of Cite Soleil, a town suffering from extreme poverty. “The commissioners went to Haiti with open eyes and open hearts,” said Aloma. “They have returned with a message and a mission, and Food For The Poor looks forward to working with them again to bring relief to a suffering nation.”
Commissioner Dennis C. Moss (center) and Dr. Larry Capp, Director of the Miami-Dade Office for Community Advocacy (far right), distributed bags of food to Haitians at the Food for the Poor warehouse in Haiti.
The commissioners vowed to do more to help the island in the future, including asking Congress for more support to aid the Haitian crisis.
“We hope the Haitian community here in Miami-Dade County can embrace and guide us on what we can do to best help the island,” said Commissioner Jordan.
The two-week food drive sponsored by the Board of County Commissioners responded to riots that broke out in Haiti due to soaring food costs this past April. Donations poured in from all over Miami-Dade, including monetary contributions totaling $15,000. The commissioners shipped the food to the island with the help of Food For The Poor, which feeds millions of destitute children and their families in Haiti.
Through its expansive networks of island-wide distribution hubs, Food For The Poor supports thousands of partners feeding the poorest of the poor. Together with its donors and missionaries, Food For The Poor continues to fight the battle against starvation in Haiti.
