PHOENIX, AZ, September 12, 2005 -- Following its mandate to walk with churches, leaders, and families, Food for the Hungry has identified two catalyst organizations - the John M. Perkins Foundation and Urban Impact - to mobilize local churches and ministries to respond to the physical and spiritual hardship caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The partner organizations were identified based on an assessment trip headed up by Food for the Hungry's Pete Howard, the current program director for tsunami relief and development operations in Meulaboh, Indonesia. "It is a privilege to partner with two organizations that share our vision and are passionate about bringing dignity and hope to the poor and who are doing this by focusing on the spiritual and emotional needs in addition to the physical needs of hurricane victims."
John M. Perkins Foundation - Creating Dignity Affirming Communities
The John M. Perkins Foundation is a well-known and respected organization specializing in the area of rural and urban development for the poor. Its founder, John Perkins, has been called the "grandfather" of development for the poor. Food for the Hungry will equip the John H. Perkins Foundation to model and train churches and ministries in holistic community development principles for the purpose of creating "dignity affirming communities" for children and adults in Mississippi and Louisiana. A dignity affirming community will be developed through the following measurable activities:
- Provide temporary and long-term housing
- Provide reconstruction resources for work teams
- Provide job training and placement
- Provide childhood education
- Provide family counseling/coaching
Urban Impact, a well respected member organization of CCDA (Christian Community Development Association), an association founded by John M. Perkins, will be working to physically and spiritually restore the poorest area in New Orleans, Central City. Food for the Hungry will prepare Urban Impact with project resources to restore motivated Central City residents into the redevelopment of their neighborhood in a manner that creates dignity affirming communities through the following measurable activities:
- Purchase properties for temporary and long-term housing
- Facilitate relationships for capacity building in community planning and advocacy
- Stimulate economic recovery through partnerships with credit/micro-finance agencies and local businesses
- Coordinate a family counseling network with local
- Receive short-term volunteer teams to help in resident infrastructure rehabilitation