CEBU CITY – Community pantries sprouting in the National Capital Region have inspired a Cebuano youth group to organize the same initiative to help the needy and the hungry, especially this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Michael Angelo Quijada, founder and executive director
of One Guadalupe, said his organization has partnered with the Sangguniang
Kabataan (SK) of Guadalupe village here in setting up two community pantries. “What
inspires us to organize a community pantry is what actually transpired in
Manila. Actually, it’s a good program to replicate. It can help the people. We
are aware there’s financial difficulties of our people because of the
pandemic,” Quijada told the Philippine News Agency.
Quijada, who is a student leader, said he used his
connections to some 20 school and student organizations in coming up with food
supplies for their community pantries. Apart from the SK in Guadalupe, he said
the SK Federation in Cebu City has also supported the program.
He urged businessmen in Cebu to help in the initiative
that will benefit the indigent families and those who lost their jobs due to
the pandemic. “
The two community pantries at the entrance of the
National Shrine of the Our Lady of the Guadalupe and across Angel’s Pharmacy
along V. Rama Avenue, have already served hundreds of people.
Photos of the pantry project was first posted by a
travel consultant, Rachel Navaja Olmogues, on her Facebook page and quickly
went viral. “The pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease of 2019 (Covid-19)
has brought financial difficulties, especially to the poor and marginalized sectors
in our barangay. This month of April, the first flagship program of One
Guadalupe is to install community pantries in five strategic areas in the
Barangay Guadalupe.”
“These community pantries shall be accessible to those
willing to donate unperishable goods like sardines, instant noodles, rice, and
water bottles. Fruits and vegetables are also allowed. Anyone can place their
donations on the same table where those who are in need can quickly grab enough
amount of goods for him or his family,” Olmogues wrote in her post.
Quijada said members of the Visayan Youth Matters also distributed reading materials to those who lined up for the free food about the importance of following health and safety standards to prevent Covid-19 infection. One Guadalupe, he said, is a youth-led initiative that aims to unify and mobilize the young residents to address common issues faced by the people in their neighborhood. (John Rey Saavedra)
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