(Coconut Creek, FL) – Thanks to the unwavering dedication of parishioners at St. Mary’s Church in Greensburg, and the generosity of their partners, a once-distant dream is becoming a reality for families in Cucuyagua, Honduras.
Food For The Poor (FFTP) is celebrating the fully funded construction of a new community – 53 phase one homes, a community center and a feeding center – made possible by the church’s commitment to raise $1 million over the past 18 months. That goal has been met, and generous support continues to grow.
Construction is now underway and a formal dedication is scheduled for October.
In addition to funding construction, St. Mary’s Church also has organized a tractor-trailer of goods to be sent to Honduras in support of the families who will soon call the new community home. The shipment will be routed through FFTP to long-time in-country partner CEPUDO.
The vision for this transformative project began when FFTP clergy speakers Fr. Carlton Beever and Fr. Bob White introduced the need for housing, education, and community infrastructure in Cucuyagua, Honduras, to St. Mary’s Church. Inspired by their message and moved by the Holy Spirit, parishioners felt called to act.
“By the grace of God, our priest, Fr. John Meyer, embraced the challenge, and our parish was moved to respond,” parishioner Tom Ricke said. “St. Mary’s parishioners have been taking the opportunity to fulfill Jesus’ words from Matthew 25:40: ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’”
Ricke himself had been moved by a deeply personal experience in which he clung to prayer and witnessed his wife’s miraculous recovery from paralysis almost 35 years ago and made a promise to follow God’s call to help others. That commitment has guided him ever since and helped spark his parish’s incredible journey to transform lives in Honduras.
In March 2024, Ricke was among a group from the church, including Greensburg Mayor Joshua Marsh, who traveled to Honduras with FFTP to visit the site where the new community is now taking shape.
“It has been a blessing to meet and help these families establish a new community where they will have a home with electricity and clean water,” he said. “Along with Food For The Poor and CEPUDO, it is possible to change the lives of these families for future generations.”
The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Indianapolis is contributing to this effort with a recent donation of more than 50 bicycles, a pallet of bike parts, and a pallet of clothing valued at $2,400. Decatur County Memorial Hospital, of Greensburg, donated more than $2,300 of physical therapy equipment. That shipment is now at FFTP, where it is being loaded onto a container for shipment to Honduras.
“At the heart of St. Vincent de Paul’s mission is a commitment to serving those in need with compassion and dignity,” Operations Director Chris Sutton said. “When Fr. Carlton approached us with St. Mary Church’s ambitious and inspiring initiative to build homes, a school, and a community center in Cucuyagua, Honduras, we felt called to contribute. Donating bicycles, clothing, and parts is a tangible way we can support the day-to-day needs of families – helping them access school, work, and essential services more easily. It’s a small part of a much larger story of hope and solidarity, and we’re deeply grateful to be involved.”
The truck, generously provided by Batesville Tool and Die, donated transportation to FFTP’s Coconut Creek, Fla., headquarters.
“This project is a powerful testament to what’s possible when compassion meets purpose,” FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said. “The people of St. Mary’s Church and the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Indianapolis, together with Batesville Tool and Die, have shown that love knows no borders. Their efforts will forever change lives in Cucuyagua, providing not just homes, but dignity, hope, and opportunity.”
FFTP has been working in Honduras since 1999 with its in-country partner CEPUDO to implement sustainable development initiatives that uplift communities through housing, health care, education, and livelihood projects.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States, is committed to facilitating paths out of poverty and transforming lives.
For more information, please visit foodforthepoor.org.
(Food For The Poor press release)
