THERE are 1,200 residents of Brgy. Luz, Cebu City and Brgy. Paknaan, Mandaue City who have been receiving one meal every day except Sunday from the “Soup Kitchen” program of the Rotary Club of Cebu (RCC).
This program was also made possible through the participation of the SimplyShare Foundation, the Naval Reserve Center Eastern Visayas, Rise Against Hunger Philippines and Fr. Pat Ornopia of the Mabolo Parish Archdiocese of Cebu.
In these trying times, these organizations want to ensure that poor communities, especially with hand-to-mouth existence and no other means to buy food, have at least one meal a day.
Edward Tan Ting, the RCC service projects chairperson, told
SunStar Cebu that there are people in the society who have been affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) wherein their means of living were suspended.
As the government urges the people to stay home, for Tan Ting, people who are in hand-to-mouth existence need to go out to find money to buy food.
Tan Ting said: “How can you encourage them to stay at home? So this is the answer that we will provide—one meal for you. We will be the one to cook and it is ready to eat.”
There are 500 residents in Brgy. Luz and 670 in Brgy. Paknaan.
The barangay personnel and volunteers fetch the food at Mabolo Church and they distribute it to the residents.
During the distribution, the residents must wear face masks and still observe the social distancing protocol.
These residents are the partner communities of Fr. Ornopia, who hosted the kitchen operation of this program.
According to Ornopia, before the program started, these residents have been the beneficiaries of the feeding program of the Mabolo Parish once a week since November.
Right now, with RCC and other organizations, they have been doing this program for a week.
Pamela Baricuatro, the executive director of SimplyShare Foundation, told SunStar Cebu that they tapped the Philippine Navy Reservists to cook the food to be served as they are equipped with a mobile kitchen.
Baricuatro shared that she envisions having more beneficiaries however, right now, they are capable of producing only 1,200 meals per day.
With that, she encouraged other country clubs, churches, foundations and other organizations that are willing to host their Soup Kitchen program to replicate their program so that they can feed more individuals who are experiencing hunger.
For donations and inquiries, refer to the Facebook page of SimplyShare Foundation.