US$7,200 a House, Half Paid From Florida: Food For The Poor Runs for 100 More Homes

• Food For The Poor aimed to raise enough from its 2018 5K to build 100 extra houses
• Each house cost US$7,200, with FFP in Florida covering half
• The charity was already building about 700 homes a year in Jamaica
• Beneficiaries were also helped to start small farming businesses

In April 2018 Food For The Poor Jamaica announced a target for its annual 5K run: raise enough to build 100 houses for vulnerable Jamaicans. The Jamaica Observer reported that the race was set for May 12, starting at 6:00 am at Emancipation Park in New Kingston and running through Oxford Road, Old Hope Road, Seaview Avenue, Lady Musgrave Road, Trafalgar Road and Knutsford Boulevard.

The numbers behind the target show how the Christian charity’s housing model works. Each house cost US$7,200, with Food For The Poor in Florida covering half. The 100 houses would be on top of the roughly 700 homes the charity was building each year in Jamaica.

Executive director David Mair wanted Jamaicans to see the work as their own. “Food For the Poor is a Jamaican company; Jamaican people need to understand the good we’re doing in our society,” he said. Chairman Andrew Mahfood, development and marketing manager Marsha Burrell, housing investigation unit manager Rosannie Hewitt and project development manager Catherine Goodall were also at the launch, along with race director Alfred “Franno” Francis.

Housing was not the only goal. The charity said it was adding income-generating projects such as fish and chicken rearing and traditional crop farming to help beneficiaries build small businesses. Rainforest Seafoods products carrying “Make a Difference” stickers contributed $50 per purchase to the fundraising.

The cost split, half raised in Jamaica and half from Florida, reflects how Jamaica’s charity housing often depends on money from overseas. For the diaspora, the model is clear: a fixed, known cost per house, a named beneficiary and matching funds from abroad. For Jamaican churches and businesses, it shows how a community event can pay for real homes, and that a small, sturdy house at a predictable price can change a family’s life.

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