On Monday Miami-Dade Commissioners Barbara J. Jordan, Audrey M. Edmonson, and Dennis C. Moss returned from a one day trip to Haiti where they helped to feed people from one of the country’s impoverished communities. They were accompanied on the trip by Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor, one of the largest international aid agencies in the U.S. and a world leader in helping the poor, who were   recipients of nearly 20 tons of food collected in Miami-Dade County to distribute to the poor and in Haiti. 



Commissioner Jordan, cognizant of reports that food sent to Haiti to assist with the scarcity and high costs of food, was held up for months in Haitian’s warehouses, authored legislation for organizing the food drive and promised to see that the donated goods went to the families who needed it most.

The commissioners helped provide food for hundreds of families, filling up pails and bags with rice, soup, and other items. “Sometime we Americans complain that we don’t have something, but for the first time, I saw I have nothing to complain about,” said Commissioner Edmonson, who co-sponsored Commissioner Jordan’s legislation. “I would like to see the food drive continue.” 



At a press conference held at the Miami International arrival on the commissioners return, Commissioner Moss displayed a mud cookie, which some very poor Haitians bake in the sun and eat to stave off hunger. “Haiti could potentially be a disaster of epic proportions if we don’t do more,” the commissioner commented. The commissioners vowed to do more to help the island in the future, including asking Congress for more support to aid the Haitian crisis. Commissioner Jordan said that she hoped the Haitian community in Miami-Dade will be able to give the commissioners guidance so that they can do what is best to help that country.



The two-week food drive sponsored by the Board of County Commissioners was in response to the riots that erupted in Haiti in April resulting from soaring food costs. Donations and monetary contributions poured in from all over Miami-Dade. The food was shipped to Haiti with the help of Food For the Poor, which feeds thousands in Haiti.