LR Contreras: Creating ripples

NEGROS. LRC has a thing for speed. (Contributed photo)
NEGROS. LRC has a thing for speed. (Contributed photo)

I HAD a good chat with LR Contreras, the owner of 9th StrEAT Food Zone along Lacson Street where my new restobar is located. What started as a simple conversation became a fruitful exchange of stories about reaching out to the marginalized and making meaning from civic activities.

LRC as he is fondly called by his friends is a known local philanthropist who is always spotted doing charity works in partnership with the local PNP and some private organizations.

"It all started when the Covid-19 pandemic hit us hard. I joined the team that manned the checkpoints. It was all volunteerism with no salaries or perks whatsoever. But upon seeing how the community quarantine adversely affected the poor, we diverted our activities to distributing relief goods and there I saw how a modest tray of eggs can be everything to a family. It was the hardest of times for a lot of our brothers and sisters and it moved me to do more," LRC said.

What started as random acts of generosity became more regular as LRC mobilized his organizations to conduct outreach activities starting with the DeMolay, Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade, the Bacolod Eagle's Club, 551st Fire and Rescue Squadron Philippine Airforce, Bacolod Fil-Chinese Junior Chamber of Commerce, PNP-AKG, and Bacolod Employers Union. More groups partnered with him and the impact became more tangible in the lives of those they reached. It was a domino effect that not a week goes by without activities of helping out the most marginalized sectors.

When asked what next is there to do, LRC said "These outreach programs cannot solve the deeper problems of poverty and so I would like to work more on helping the poor get educated as well as influence the marginalized on caring for our environment. Those things are more sustainable and will surely have a bigger impact in the long run."

While the outreach activities that LRC initiated can be considered drops of water in the ocean, yet those drops are surely creating ripples.

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph