Ferdinand “Ferdy” Mahfood, co-founder of Food For The Poor (FFP), died Sunday at age 85.

The family, in a statement, said: “Our family, while we mourn the passing of Ferdy, we rejoice in his life and his founding of Food For The Poor, which has benefited hundreds of thousands of recipients in the Caribbean and Latin America. Ferdy is now right where he always wanted to be, with our Lord God in Heaven.”

President and CEO of the charity Ed Raine also expressed his profound sadness over the loss of Mahfood, saying he leaves behind a legacy of love and compassion for the poor.

“He planted the seeds when he answered God’s call,” Raine said. “We are honoured to continue following this call more than 40 years later.”

Moved by the poverty he witnessed first-hand in Jamaica, Mahfood, along with brothers Sam, Joe, and Robin, established Food For The Poor in Florida, United States on February 12, 1982. He said his religious conversion in 1976 was the inspiration behind the founding of the charity. He emphasised in an earlier interview the collaborative nature and the selflessness that are still the core values of the organisation.

A history of the charity notes that, “The organisation was started by four brothers, so it’s not just Ferdinand Mahfood’s efforts, it’s the efforts of the four brothers and all their children, and that is what has built it, and kept it together.”

As the charity expanded, Ferdy and his wife, Patty, travelled throughout the Caribbean, bringing resources to countless people in need. FFP officially launched its operation in Jamaica in June 1983 and created a model that the organisation would later replicate in other parts of the Caribbean and Latin America.