Arlene Amitirigala is Food for the Poor Canada new Executive Director
March 31, 2023
In her first resume after completing undergraduate studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica, Arlene Amitirigala stated a desire to use her communication skills to design programs that would eradicate persistent social ills in developing countries.
It didn’t happen right away.
In the meantime, she acquired inclusive leadership skills and developed a passion for employee engagement while becoming a global communications leader.
Those vast experiences enabled Amitirigala to emerge as Samantha Mahfood’s replacement for Food For The Poor (FFTP) Canada Executive Director role.
Founded in 1982 by Ferdinand ‘Ferdy’ Mahfood, FFTP Inc. is a non-profit that provides food, medicine, shelter and other services to the poor in the Caribbean and Latin America.
“Food For The Poor Jamaica has a strong reputation and unshakeable brand name,” Amitirigala said. “People know and love the organization and they respect the work it does. Food For The Poor US is also a strong brand with a very sturdy donor base.”
Enhancing FFTP Canada profile is a priority for the former Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) Marketing Executive who completed high school in Europe, undergraduate and graduate degrees at UWI and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Brussels and resided in seven countries before coming to Canada in July 2020.
“When you look at the name recognition for FFTP Canada and the visibility, there is an inequality,” she pointed out. “It is not the same as Jamaica and the United States. I think there is a big opportunity because, with the visibility and people understanding the work that we are doing in the region, we will be able to attract a lot more funders that will enable us to grow our impact.”
To achieve that goal, Amitirgala’s is counting on her many years in senior communication and marketing roles in the private and public sectors.
“I am a firm believer in the use of integrated marketing communications,” she said. “I know the fundraising aspect of one-on-one and donor cultivation is critical. I don’t bring that strong technical knowledge of building the fundraising pipeline and doing the grant writing. What I do know is that we can use a combination of local and mainstream media to do more of the storytelling and invite other donors to come on board.”
Building a strong volunteer base, Amitirigala believes, could also help the process.
“I sat on the International Association for Business Communicators Toronto branch last year and I saw how they used volunteers to put on major events,” she said. “It was phenomenal. With what we are doing to transform lives in the Caribbean and Latin America, we hopefully could set up a volunteer base where we could stage large fundraisers.”
Residing for just over three years in England where she was head of Engagement & Employee Communications with Diageo Great Britain & Europe, Amitirigala relocated to Toronto after her husband, Nimal Amitirigala, was appointed President of Grace Foods Canada Inc.
The couple has two children.
With a bestie in Ottawa, she visited Canada on a few occasions.
“I remember telling her there is no way I would ever live in Canada because of the cold,” Amitirigala, who has a post-graduate Global Marketing Communication & Advertising certificate from Emerson College, recalled. “I said if I have to wear a coat that is heavier than the one I wore in Switzerland, I am not coming.”
Sometimes, being in a place for a little while can change one’s perception.
“I really like Canada,” said Amitirigala who is the Chief Communications Strategist for TrulyArlene Communications which she started in January 2021. “It is a caring society and great place to raise kids. It is welcoming, organized and structured and I have, amazingly, been able to build a network and meet some absolutely fantastic people. I was impressed, surprised and very grateful for how people opened their doors, hearts and time.”
Nearly three decades ago, the Immaculate Conception High School student graduated from UWI with a Bachelor of Arts in Media & Journalism Studies.
The late John Maxwell, a veteran journalist, was one of her lecturers.
“The writing skills, the rigour and the breadth of what we were doing were entrepreneurial as we had to print our own newspaper,” Amitirigala said. “We measured out the flats and also took our own photos and developed them. In my second year, we got Mac computers and our lives were transformed. Just knowing how to be flexible, innovative and entrepreneurial are things I got from UWI.”
There were nine candidates for the FFTP Canada Executive Director position.
“We, however, focused on three, including Arlene who our Board Co-Chair Andre Bastian found on LinkedIn and brought to the attention of the hiring committee,” said Mahfood. “Along with great management and communication skills, she brings enthusiasm and passion to our cause. I am confident that Food For The Poor Canada will grow its impact under her leadership.”
Bastian said Amitirigala stood out from the beginning.
“She has a passion for mission work, the experience to lead the organization and the drive to make impactful change for those living with food and housing insecurity in the Caribbean and Central America,” he added.
Even though she started and built the organization, Mahfood recognized change was needed for advancement.
“Just because you found an organization doesn’t mean you are the right person to continue to grow it,” she said. “I think that organization will benefit from someone coming in with a fresh set of eyes and different skill sets. A lot of good work has been done over the years, establishing credibility and building networks. We are at a point where we need to enhance awareness and increase our donor base and we have someone now that can do that.”
Mahfood will assist Amitirigala with the transition until the end of the year.
“We are a small team and a lot of the knowledge is with me,” she pointed out. “After that, I will assist the Board in an advisory capacity. I have done my part and it is time to retire.”
FFTP Canada and US, which do the bulk of fundraising and purchasing of goods, work with implementing partners in Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana. The organization also has partnerships in Central American countries, including Honduras which has an organization, CEPUDO, that works with communities to alleviate poverty.
“The agencies we work with on the ground are always the strongest and the largest in their countries,” Mahfood noted. “Food For The Poor has worked for just over 40 years in the region and, during that time, has built capacity in many of those organizations on the ground.”
Mahfood’s uncle started the organization in 1982 after visiting Eventide Home for the Elderly a few years earlier with Missionaries For The Poor founder Father Richard Ho Lung.
Lying on a bed in an extremely hot room with the temperature hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit was Cleveland Christie whose skin was badly decayed. When Christie asked Ho Lung for a blanket because he was cold, Ferdinand Mahfood said he saw the face of Christ lying in that bed and knew he had to do something to help the poor and needy.
The organization’s founder passed away in Florida on February 26 at age 85.
“When I was 16, I remember my uncle bringing people to Jamaica to look at the needs of those individuals in orphanages, homes for the aged and prisons,” she said. “Called by God in 1976 to help his people, he really took that call seriously. He went across Jamaica to see what help they needed and then he went across the United States to find people that would help. His legacy is that he built an organization of people that cared about their brothers and sisters.”
In the last 14 years, FFTP Canada has built 189 homes, 38 schools with learning spaces for 2,500 students and shipped and distributed $44,000,000 in food, educational and medical supplies to Latin American countries.
