Food For The Poor launches ‘Race for Hunger’ fundraiser

Jamaica’s largest charitable organisation, Food For The Poor (FFTP), has launched its first-ever multinational virtual race that seeks to raise funds to help the less fortunate who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual race will be hosted throughout the month of June under the theme ‘Race for Hunger’ and will be syndicated in the United States and Canada. Participants have the option to walk, ride, run or wheelchair.

The initiative is also welcoming support of the charity’s efforts to provide food, shelter and income sustainability for millions of families across the Caribbean and Latin America by donating through the organisation’s website ( www.foodforthepoor.org).

Development and marketing manager at FFTP Jamaica, Marsha Burrell Rose, indicated that the idea for the virtual race was birthed out of a desire to help those whose dire situations were made worse due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said, “Every day we see first-hand how the less fortunate among us are struggling to survive and to access the most basic care. Their situation has been compounded by the fact that with COVID-19, they are faced with the real possibility of contracting a potentially life-threatening virus. Through the ‘Race for Hunger’ virtual run, we are encouraging everyone to do whatever they can to support the less fortunate by donating to a worthy cause that will help to alleviate some of the challenges these families are faced with on a daily basis.”

A number of well-known Jamaican stars and public figures have pledged their support for the virtual month-long event. Among them are Olympic medallist and former World Champion Yohan Blake; Jamaican footballer Leon Bailey; and Paralympian SashaGaye Thompson, to name a few.