CLAD in her blue and white uniform, six-year-old student Janine Tilar waited in line for her turn to receive an envelope of school supplies and a pack of snacks from Excelsior Farms Inc. and its partner Cargill Philippines on Thursday morning, June 13, 2019.

Before she arrived in Sacsac Elementary School in Pinamungajan, Cebu, Tilar had to walk more than a kilometer from her home. Her mother accompanied her.

The student often wears slippers and a casual dress in classes.

She decided to look good after she learned from her teacher about the visit of the Excelsior Farms and Cargill employee-volunteers.

“I had my hair kept to make me look neat and I wore my complete uniform because our teacher told us we have visitors coming,” she said in Cebuano.

Holding their new set of school supplies, Tilar and her fellow students in the mountain village school went home smiling.

For three years now, Excelsior Farms has been partnering with Cargill in implementing projects that benefit Pinamungajan where the company operates its farm.

Students of local schools are the priority beneficiaries of Excelsior Farms’ corporate social responsibility programs. Among the beneficiaries are the students of Sacsac Elementary School and Tutay Elementary School in Pinamungajan, and Angilan Elementary School in the neighboring municipality of Aloguinsan.

For 2019, Excelsior Farms and Cargill gave school supplies to a total of 1,170 students in the three beneficiary schools.

Excelsior Farms chairman and chief executive officer Alvin S. Hing said they want to give assistance to the people and students. For his part, Excelsior Farms president and chief operating officer Paul T. Holaysan said the company wants to inspire students.

“We believe that education is the key to a brighter tomorrow. This is our contribution to encourage and inspire the students,” he said.

The back-to-school activities of Excelsior Farms and Cargill were held on June 13-17. Volunteers also participated in the three schools’ Brigada Eskwela activities last May.