A Reggae Star, a Florida Gala and Houses for Haiti: Shaggy Joins Food For The Poor’s Building Hope Night

• Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy was to perform at Food For The Poor’s 20th Building Hope Gala
• The gala in Boca Raton, Florida, aimed to fund houses in Pon Batay, Haiti
• Guests would pledge money for house construction and bid in a silent auction
• FFP president Robin Mahfood called Shaggy ‘a true friend’ of the charity

In October 2014 the Jamaica Observer reported that Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy would help the Christian charity Food For The Poor raise money to build homes in Haiti. He was to perform at the charity’s 20th annual Building Hope Gala on February 6, 2015, at the Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida.

The gala’s goal was to build houses for poor families in Pon Batay, Haiti. Guests would be invited to pledge money towards house construction, and a silent auction would offer electronics, jewellery, holidays and golf and dining packages. The report did not say how many houses were planned or what they would cost.

Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s president, welcomed the singer’s support. “Shaggy is a true friend of Food for the Poor. Thanks to Shaggy, the determination of Building Hope Gala committee members, and the South Florida community, Food for the Poor is positioned to build even more homes to commemorate the gala’s 20th anniversary,” he said.

He described what a house means to the families the charity serves: “The gift of a safe, secure home is a tremendous blessing for a family who lives in a crumbling one-room shack, and does not know where their next meal will come from.”

The story shows how Caribbean housing charity often depends on the diaspora. Food For The Poor raises money in South Florida, home to large Jamaican and Haitian communities, and uses it to build in Jamaica, Haiti and across the region. Jamaican artists such as Shaggy can play a visible part. For readers in the diaspora, galas like this are a reminder that giving from Florida, New York or London can put roofs over families at home and in neighbouring islands.

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