Cross International partners with local agencies to feed the homeless, hungry in Broward County

Online, November 18, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Forty-one-thousand pounds of food provided by Cross will be distributed by Broward Outreach Center to the homeless and other needy individuals throughout the county starting on Friday. The food will go to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and the homes of needy families.

The effort is a partnership between Cross, Broward Outreach Center, and Volunteer Broward to help meet the increased demand for food among the county's destitute.

"This is a huge blessing for us," said James Whitworth, center director of the Broward Outreach Center, which cares for hundreds of the county's homeless men, women, and children. "With the downturn in the economy, donations are down and everyone is scrambling. So when partnerships like this happen it is great blessing, especially for the needy families who depend on us for food."

Whitworth says the shipment of broths and soups, which was donated to Cross by Arkansas-based food distributor Bay Valley Foods, is coming at the perfect time with Thanksgiving around the corner and Christmas close behind - times of increased need.

On Friday, a team of community volunteers assembled by Volunteer Broward will help load the food into trucks so it can be distributed throughout the community. Several agencies helping the county's homeless and needy will participate in the distribution, including the Children Services Council and the Homeless Assistance Center in Pompano Beach.

"Partnerships and collaborations like this are vital to meeting the needs of the poor in Broward County," said Dale Hirsh, executive director of Volunteer Broward, a nonprofit agency connecting civic-minded citizens to meaningful volunteer projects. "We are so pleased to partner with Cross International to impact the lives of the needy in our community."

Cross International (Cross) is an interdenominational Christian humanitarian organization based in South Florida that provides relief and development aid to the poorest of the poor in Christ's name. The charity began in 2001 by helping those suffering extreme poverty in Haiti and the Caribbean, but it soon grew to include those living in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Though Cross provides emergency aid and necessities such as food, the ministry's goal is to break the cycle of poverty plaguing so many in the world by promoting education and microenterprise programs and focusing on community development. Cross partners with needy church-based ministries serving the poor in developing countries, providing them with the financial support they lack and distributing aid through their existing programs. This style of outreach enables Cross to supply meaningful help where it is needed most, while keeping overhead costs low. The ministry's strong ethical practices have earned it ongoing accreditation by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and recognition from the Chronicle of Philanthropy as one of the most significant non-profit organizations in the U.S.

For more information about Cross International, visit www.crossinternational.org.

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