HAITI :: Food crisis at St. Vincent's escalates

Have you ever tried to write something but the message is so upsetting that you can't get the words out adequately? That's the way we feel now as we share the severity of the food shortage at St Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children, our partner in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Ever since a large international agency stopped supplying food to the Center without explanation, St. Vincent's administration has been working diligently to find a sustainable solution. Expenses have been drastically reduced and all available funds used toward food. 

This critical shortage has even forced them to restructure who they feed and when. (Author’s note: I can NOT even fathom having to make these kind of decisions.) The current situation only provides food for 76 residential students and 10 residential staff on a rotating schedule. Loosely translated, that means they don’t get 3 simple meals of beans and rice every day – some days they do, but many times they do not.

Tragically, the Center's electricity was recently cutoff as they are unable to pay the growing debt. Instead, they have diverted those funds to buy beans and rice to feed the students.

In a recent correspondence, Father Sadoni, Director of St. Vincent's, stated:

Occasionally an agency gives us some rice and beans, but it is not enough to operate the Center. We have re-approached other agencies but without success. We are now truly breathless. All St. Vincent's input is spending in the food program. At the time I wrote this report to you, there is no electricity at St. Vincent's. We don't have enough money to pay the current debt. This is the first time since my ascent to the management of the Center that I find myself in such a situation. Despite these problems, I keep hoping that one day St. Vincent's will meet its needs and that there will be no debt to pay. And we could easily feed our children.

Our hearts are broken to hear this. Our compassion brings us to action. So we are going to DO SOMETHING. 

We are asking 2 things of each and every Red Thread supporter:

1. SHARE this message. Tell others of the need. Show them the pictures of St. Vincent’s kids from our blog / website / Facebook / Instagram. If each of us shared this message with 10 friends / co-workers, what a difference we could make!!!
2. GIVE something. Donations of any size help! It costs approximately $6000 to feed all residential staff and students for 1 full month, 3 meals per day. That breaks down as such: $2.50 feeds 1 person 3 meals per day. (Author’s note: you can’t even go to McDonald’s for ONE meal for $2.50!) 

NO ONE should go without sufficient food – ever. Let’s do our part to feed the kids and start 2014 on a positive note for our brothers and sisters at St. Vincent’s.

Donations can be made via PayPal through our website or via check. Checks may be sent to:
The Red Thread Promise
249 N Belfield Ave
Havertown, PA 19083
Attn: Kathy Korge Albergate

Thank you!