Today's Hero

Last year at this time, my bride and I were in Jamaica on our honeymoon. The people we met were so kind, and the island is beautiful. But there is a tremendous amount of poverty. That's why I want to share this story...

Barbara Gilbert is a waitress from Jacksonville, Florida who doesn't even own her own home. Yet she spearheaded an effort that has built a 14-home village for some of Jamaica's poorest families. She pledged over $200 a month of her own money, and solicited donations from others. The total amount raised was $69,000. The village cost $50,000, leaving $19,000 to build individual homes across the country.

The organization Barbara worked with is called Food For the Poor. They provide food, housing, health care, education, water projects, micro-enterprise development assistance and emergency relief to the poorest of the poor throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. If you are looking for a charitable organization to support, you might keep them in mind. They are working hard to help the poor throughout the area, and particularly in Haiti, which might be the poorest nation in our hemisphere.