A Wedding Wish to Help the Poor

When Joliene Cummins and Chris Garlich enjoy their wedding on June 27, they will also be celebrating an opportunity to make a difference to poor people living in a Caribbean nation.

Instead of registering for conventional wedding gifts, the couple from Alexandria, Kentucky used international charity Food for the Poor to ask for donations to help build houses for poverty-hit families in the Dominican Republic.

Cummins and Garlich explain that gratitude for their own blessings was the inspiration for decision to help others through their big day.

"When we were discussing getting married, we decided we are a very blessed couple already," the pair write on the web page they developed through Food for the Poor.

"So we decided that our fortune should be shared with others so they may have a chance to enjoy all the blessings of life and our love too," they add.

As of Thursday, a total of 33 gifts worth more than $2,550 had been collected for the cause.

Cummins told the Kentucky Enquirer that they plan to honeymoon in the Dominican Republic this year and will continue to give to the charity on an annual basis.