PHOENIX, AZ, April 6, 2006 – In December 2005, Food for the Hungry President Benjamin Homan received an honorary doctorate of Christian ministries from Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, for his work in reaching out to impoverished communities around the world.

To celebrate this conferment with Food for the Hungry staff members, Dr. Ted Yamamori, former president of Food for the Hungry, presented Homan with the award during a recent gathering at the organization’s Phoenix headquarters. Dr. Yamamori also presented Food for the Hungry with a plaque of appreciation from Global Mission Health Conference for its role in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of those affected by and afflicted with HIV/AIDS.


Food for the Hungry is a relief and development organization serving 47 countries and consistently ranks as one of America’s most efficient charities. In his leadership role, Homan has traveled to more than 25 developing countries and led assessment teams in war-torn and tsunami-ravaged places such as Baghdad, Afghanistan, Sudan’s Darfur region and Indonesia.

Homan also is president of the Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations (AERDO), a network that serves relief organizations and creates partnerships. In August 2005 he was appointed chairman of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA), whose charter from Congress dates back to the Truman administration.

Homan’s active involvement in understanding the issue of relief and sustainable development and exploring ways to address interrelated problems puts him in a strategic position to effect positive changes in how non-government organizations can continue to meet the needs of developing countries more effectively.