Food for the Poor
Food, housing, clean water, and emergency relief across the Caribbean and Latin America
Our editorial assessment
Food for the Poor is one of the largest US relief organisations serving the Caribbean and Latin America, distributing food, building homes, and delivering clean water and medical aid. Its evaluations diverge sharply depending on how donated goods are counted: Charity Navigator awards a four-star rating and a program ratio above 90%, but that figure values gifts-in-kind at retail prices. CharityWatch, which measures on a cash basis, grades it "B-" with roughly 65% of cash spending on programmes — and California's Attorney General previously challenged the charity's "95% to programs" claim as misleading. We reflect the more conservative cash-basis view here. It remains a large-scale relief provider, best suited to donors comfortable with a goods-distribution model.
The problem they're solving
Across the Caribbean and Latin America, families face acute shortages of food, safe housing, and clean water. Food for the Poor moves large volumes of donated and purchased goods to these communities, pairing immediate relief with longer-term development.
About Food for the Poor
Food for the Poor provides food, housing, clean water, medical aid, and emergency relief to people in the Caribbean and Latin America, distributing donated goods alongside development projects.
Where your dollar goes
How this score was produced
The GiveWise score is our own editorial assessment, produced with a weighted rubric covering program spending, transparency and governance, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and leadership. It draws on publicly available reports from independent evaluators such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, but it is not a rating issued or endorsed by any of those organisations. Read the full methodology →