Our LESS Institute Team Joins the Pack (Again!) With Food for the Poor

By Abagail Sullivan

Our team joined the pack and Food for the Poor for another successful day of providing sustenance to hungry families abroad.

Guatemala has one of the highest rates of chronic child malnutrition in the world, with less than half of rural Guatemalans with access to running water, only a quarter with availability of electricity and only about one in 10 with means of modern sanitation facilities. This severe food insecurity and lack of accessible, affordable medical care has led to high infant, child and maternal mortality rates.

So our team joined the pack to help gather a whopping 150,120 meals for families in Latin America and the Caribbean, alongside hundreds of generous volunteers at the Third Annual Join the Pack Event – featuring specially formulated MannaPack meals that provide direly needed sustenance to families abroad unable to afford for their own.

“Food for the Poor gave me a sense of purpose and desire to do more for the less fortunate. As I stood inside the gymnasium surrounded by all the other volunteers I noticed how happy everyone was and eager to work together toward a greater cause. We were all determined to make as many meals as possible in the allotted time, even if it meant our backs or arms became sore from standing for hours in an assembly line – because the thought of malnourished children made it more than worth it. Volunteers that entered as strangers were high-fiving by the final count and have become lasting friends. I can’t wait to join again for our third year in a row,” attests Marketing Manager Esther Rodriguez.

“This day of giving is filled with such camaraderie, positivity and light.”

And LESS Institute Scheduling Coordinator Ana Williams agrees. “After year one of ‘joining the pack,’ we knew we’d return. This day of giving is filled with such camaraderie, positivity and light, we encourage all those who can to get involved in making even a small difference in the worlds of so many families abroad.”

We send our sincerest thank yous and gratitude to Food for the Poor, our LESS Institute team members, our fellow Manna-packers, donation givers and everyone who spread the word of this noteworthy cause!

Discover more about Food for the Poor and the motivation behind this wonderful event. And visit us on Facebook to check out our team photos and beyond.

Photos by Food For The Poor

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A Successful Day of Giving with Food for the Poor

By Abagail Sullivan

It was the LESS Institute’s pleasure to be a small part of the wonderful Food for the Poor/Join the Pack event to help feed hungry families in Haiti!

Our LESS Institute team showed up excited to help volunteer at Boca Advent Lutheran Church with Food for the Poor and became recognized for our fundraising efforts to aid.

Nearly 125,000 meals were packed by more than 500 volunteers at the Second Annual Join the Pack Event. The meals were prepared with boiling water and each bag contains six generous servings. The LESS Institute team personally packed 36 MannaPacks in each box with nearly 25 total boxes packed.

Because of our group’s efforts, a whopping 91 children will be fed every day for a WHOLE YEAR, with a total of 340 children fed from combined teamwork in this one single session. Thank you to Food for the Poor, our LESS Institute team members, our fellow Manna-packers, donators and everyone who spread the word of this noteworthy cause!

To view a video recap of our experience at the event, click here! Or visit us on Facebook to check out our team’s photo album.

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The 2017 Sugar Cane Ball

By Abagail Sullivan

This past Saturday, my lovely wife Vanessa and I were fortunate enough to attend the annual Sugar Cane Ball in Jamaica, an evening of support for local upstanding charitable organizations. The Ball, hosted by Hanover Charities at Round Hill Hotel & Villas, consisted of dinner, dancing, and celebration for one of the largest charitable operations in Western Jamaica.

The Sugar Cane Ball “Diamond Jubilee” commemorated 60 years of the Hanover Charities organization and its contributions to the community.

Since 1957, Hanover Charities has been devoted to improving the health, welfare, and education of the Hanover Parish. With funds serving copious efforts, Hanover Charities promotes programs that feed school children, the elderly, and the indigent, as well as those that provide invaluable health services and financial aid, and encourage positive values.

The Ball has become a well known social event for celebrities – including regulars Ralph Lauren and family – homeowners, and Round Hill Hotel & Villas and Tryall Golf Club of Jamaica visitors, with immeasurable funds surfacing from this single night of support.

The Hanover Charities movement began when Willy Delisser became Custos of Hanover, and he and his wife Ida began implementing positive additions and change in their community. Since its inception, two energetic chairladies have brought great positivity to the operation. Sandy Morris, chair from 1992 to 2001, provided approachability, living in Jamaica amongst the projects and those involved. After Morris’s death, Paula Watkins chaired from 2001 to 2006, providing impressive fundraising efforts for the operation. Katrin Casserly has since taken over, offering a close-to-home approach because of her Jamaican naturalization. Being able to relate to your community and holding close ties to the charities you are supporting are aspects so valuable to the success of any operation.

With no paid staff, Hanover Charities is run strictly by volunteers. And after this evening of coming together, we can see how. Through their site, you can read their amazing history and donate to the Hanover Charities operation today.