CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Residents of the coastal village of Sagrada Familia in Masantol town received relief packs and toiletries from the Mirai Ni Kibou Foundation-led operation recently.
Mirai Ni Kibou Foundation was joined by officials of Rotary Club of Central Pampanga, Quota International of Pampanga and Rotary Club of Dolores in distributing 410 food packs at the Tarik Soliman High School in Masantol.
The organizations have raised more than P100,000 for the food packs that included canned goods, noodles and other food necessities. Japanese non-government organization Mirai Ni Kibou Foundation and its Japanese members and friends also donated linens and toiletries.
The groups also provided a soup kitchen for 835 students of the said school in the coastal town that has, for several years now, been part of the adopted barangay project of the said organizations.
The groups also checked on the status of the mangrove planting projects they have implemented in the past years along the coastlines of Masantol.
Mirai Ni Kibou Foundation said the groups decided to plant nipa as a source of income for the local communities living around and near the mangrove forests.
Nipa is a good source for bamboo house roofing and can yield materials for products like wine and vinegar.
Mangrove forests serve as breeding grounds for marine life and also help in the balance of marine ecosystems and protection of the coastline from erosion.
The groups said they will return in the coming years to ensure that the whole Masantol coastline is planted with mangrove trees.