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The Denton Program, which permits the U.S. military to transport humanitarian aid on a space available basis at no cost to the donor,  was authored by Jeremiah A. Denton while in the Senate,1984.  The Denton Amendment (Title 10 U.S.C. Section 402) states "The Secretary of Defense may transport to any country, without charge, supplies which have been furnished by a non-governmental source and which are intended for humanitarian assistance.  Such supplies may be transported only on a space available basis."  The program is jointly administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of State, and the Department of Defense (DOD).

Then there was the birth of the TRANSFORM Program, which takes the same concept of ‘space available’ transportation and applies it to the commercial sector in order to drastically reduce the high cost of shipping humanitarian aid and share America’s excess with those in need.  Working with commercial carriers such as FedEx, Chiquita’s Great White Fleet, Ecuadorian Line, Maersk Line Ltd, and many others, the program grew from four domestic shipments in FY99 to hundreds of containers of life-changing aid reaching Latin America by FY03.  And to Africa – South Africa, Uganda, Djibouti, and Kenya by FY04.  And to Asia on a regular basis.

All the while TRANSFORM was developing, relations with the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) were strengthening.  We were continually briefed on SOUTHCOM’s most forward looking humanitarian assistance programs for Latin America and the Caribbean.  We served as an effective bridge between the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the military, and partnered NGOs to compliment a number of SOUTHCOM’s humanitarian programs in relief and development.

With a particular emphasis on education and development, we supported schools built or refurbished by DOD’s Humanitarian Assistance Programs executed under The U.S. Southern Command.   We placed hundreds of school desks and backpacks filled with supplies in these schools to help furnish and complete schools in Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Grenada, Dominican Republic, Haiti.  Thousands of children have benefited – and continue to benefit today – as a  result.  Coordinated through the Denton Foundation, this represents a combined effort of American churches, schools, civic groups, organizations and individuals working together to help those less fortunate.

In late 2008, we added a special project division to address specific needs in selected communities, such as building homes and providing meals and shoes to children in the Philippines, and providing follow up to projects in Latin America.

 Follow up to some, or all, of these projects is vital.