Food For The Poor catering to the less fortunate
Published:Saturday | February 25, 2012 | 12:00 AM
PORTLAND COTTAGE, Clarendon:
AS FOOD For The Poor's project manager for Jamaica working out of the Florida office, Susan James' job requires that she spend a lot of time between both places liaising with staff here to look at the needs of potential beneficiaries. She must then bring these needs to the attention of donors and follow through with the projects to ensure that the allocated funds are spent as planned.
It is a taxing job but James enjoys her work, especially the lasting relief to beneficiaries as well as those success stories that leave a lasting impression.
"Most of the work is done by the officers out there - most of the identification - but it is important to us to get in the field to see what the needs are and to work alongside our partners, whether it is here in Jamaica, or any of the other countries that we work in," she told The Gleaner.
In the 12 years with the organisation, James has seen ups and downs and been through some very difficult times, but nothing like 2011.
"Going up to the end of last year, it was very rough for us to find funding for projects. You have to remember that with the tragedy there, a lot of attention was given to Haiti, so finding funding for projects - basic programmes - has created a challenge," James reported. "However, God has been good to us and we have come through the end of last year in a good state and are continuing to push. We continue to try and expand our horizons and seek funding for what we feel is important," she added.
Optimistic
The project manager remains optimistic that her organisation can continue to attract new donors to fulfill its mandate despite the hard global economic climate. Operating in Jamaica, Canada, and the United States, Food For The Poor has to compete with many other entities for scarce and dwindling charity funding, but James believes the organisation's impressive track record will continue to bear fruit.
"Less than four per cent of all funds we receive go into administrative costs. In other words, 96 per cent goes directly to the poor who need it," James disclosed. So that's one thing - the trust factor - we've been developing over the years, saying that we are responsible for the funds that you give us and that we are capable of identifying those people that need it most, and then we bring the individual stories to our donors," she added.
There are some people in dire need who shy away from charity because of the way some individuals help - giving in a manner that demeans the recipient. Food For The Poor is very aware of the risk that its acts of kindness could be misread, due in large measure to the sensitivity of beneficiaries.
Explained James: "What we do is we work in a way that is very respectful to everybody who is receiving the support. It's not a matter of somebody being considered as really less fortunate in a derogatory way. It's just a matter of 'there by the grace of God go I'. We all could be in the same situation. It's about having respect for the person and helping to bring back the dignity to each individual that is suffering."