The What If? Foundation, in partnership with members of the St. Clare’s community of Port-au-Prince, has been providing hot, nutritious meals to hungry children in the Tiplas Kazo neighborhood  for over 10 years. The program started small in March 2000, serving  500 children on a Sunday, and gradually expanded over the years. In early January, 2010, the food program team at St. Clare’s was serving up to 1,500 meals/day, every Monday – Friday. Then the catastrophic earthquake struck on January 12. The team is now serving up to 15,000 hot meals each week.

After the Earthquake

On Sunday, January 17th, our program liaison, Lavarice Gaudin, arrived in Port-au-Prince via the Dominican Republic with the first truckloads of food and water.  We were so grateful to learn that the food program building did not collapse during the earthquake and all of the cooks and other program members were uninjured.  Together they worked tirelessly to distribute canned food and bottled water to thousands of people daily.

On Monday, January 25th, once aftershocks had subsided, the St. Clare’s food team re-entered the kitchen and hot meals of rice, beans, vegetables, and meat were once again served.  Thanks to the courage and devotion of these amazing cooks, between up to 3,000 meals a day, five days a week have been distributed to children and adults ever since.  Donations to the What If? Foundation have made this possible.

We are so grateful for the generosity of our donors, which has allowed us to help so many in the St. Clare’s neighborhood during these incredibly difficult times. The food program at St. Clare’s has been the only consistent source of food for many since the earthquake, and some walk miles to attend.  Thankfully, the cooking team has been able to return to purchasing all of the food for the meals in Port-au-Prince, supporting the local economy.

The What If? Foundation continues to be the only source of financial support for this food program. Your donations are needed now, more than ever, to help us continue this critical service.

Visit our gallery to see photos of the food program, and read our blog for the latest news.

History of the Food Program

The food program was launched on a Sunday in March, 2000, when 200 children came to the rectory for a hot meal of rice, beans, vegetables, and meat. The next week, almost 400 children showed up, and the program has continued to grow ever since. After the 2004 coup d’etat, the program started serving meals 2 days a week. By March 2006 it had expanded to providing meals five days a week. And before the earthquake the program was serving as many as 1,500 meals five days a week.

Each child who comes to the food program has traditionally received a heaping plate of fresh vegetables, rice, beans, and meat — all at a cost of less than $1 per plate. And after the children eat, if there is food left over (and the cooks always try to make sure there is) adults are served. With the continued generosity of our donors, the food program has weathered hurricanes, an economic embargo, a coup d’etat, and now an earthquake of tragic proportions. And for this the children say “Meci Anpil”, which means “thank you so much” in Creole.

To see photos of the food program, visit our Photo Gallery.

The following shows the food program in action:

What If? Foundation founder Margaret Trost reflects on a 2009 trip to Haiti and the food program: