Calauan, Laguna, the Philippines, 13 August 2020 -- Matthew, a 7-year-old boy, gained two kilos after joining the feeding program a year ago. His father, who undergoes monthly dialysis, cannot provide for him and his three siblings anymore.
Christy, a mother of 8 children, is a vendor of assorted kakanin (local delicacies). She enlisted her three (3) kids in the daily feeding program this year. The feeding has greatly lessened the financial burden of sustaining her family, knowing that their income is unstable nowadays.
John Paul, a 12-year-old boy who used to sell bottles and plastic for food cherished the fact that “since we get a meal pack everyday, no more excuse causes me to miss school. Now, I can go to school regularly.
Matthew, Christy, and John Paul are beneficiaries of people’s generosity channeled through our Salesians of Don Bosco based in Calauan, Laguna who run a feeding program originally meant for the poverty-stricken children.
Started long before the COVID-19 era, the feeding program has been one of the many works of the Salesians in the relocation site under the care of the National Housing Authority (NHA).
When the Ayala Foundation invited the presence of the Salesians in the site way back in May 2010, one of their missions was that of St. John Bosco’s very own paradigm: Bread, Work, Heaven.
Many of the relocatees came from the poor families of Metro Manila and Cavite, including informal settlers who used to reside along Pasig River. They were in dire need of food and proper nutrition.
A quick survey shows that 23% of the settlers are unemployed then; and those with income survive in meager salaries with the majority earning below the minimum salary a month.
The Salesians started to solicit food and clothing donations from Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). Items ranging from sacks of rice to boxes of canned goods, milk, noodles poured in, and distributed to the poor and underprivileged.
A more organized feeding program was initiated and conceptualized by the former Rector of Don Bosco Calauan, Fr. Salvador Pablo, SDB, and up to now being continued under the rectorship of Fr. Darwin R. Tolentino, SDB.
In the last five months since the government imposed the lockdown in the entire country, the Salesians have also doubled their efforts to accommodate the increasing number of beneficiaries.
It has become even more relevant because most of the families whose parents were stranded in Metro Manila during lock-down were affected economically.
Generous Donors
The feeding program caters both the young and the old: seventy percent (70%) of the total numbers are children ranging from 6 months to 17 years old and 30% includes the senior citizens, PWD, and pregnant women.
Different recipients were categorized and accommodated depending on the sponsorship of the NGOs. Currently, there are three NGOs sponsoring the program, namely: Rise Against Hunger (RAH), Your Kids and My Kids Foundation (YKMK), and lastly, the group from Australia through Ms. Patricia Herras-Alivia, a Salesian Cooperator.
Rise Against Hunger, whose motto is to “Stop Hunger,” has been a partner of Don Bosco Calauan since 2015. They regularly supplied the Manna pack. Each pack is composed of rice combined with dried vitamins and other minerals. It is similar to lugaw (rice porridge) when cooked and has different flavors such as chicken, beef, and champorado (chocolate flavored porridge).
Since the pandemic, the RAH has been supplying monthly sacks of rice and seasonings to produce the rice porridge to feed 4,000 recipients daily from Monday to Saturday.
RAH also sponsored the renovation and construction of the kitchen facility last year.
Your Kids, My Kids (YKMK) Foundation came to Don Bosco Calauan in 2018. The group, headed by Fr. Armand Robreza, SDB, sponsors a daily lunch schedule from Monday to Friday in order to address the malnutrition problem of the children here in Calauan. Their foundation provides one complete meal of rice and vegetables to two hundred fifty (250) children ages 6 to 12 years old.
Another benefactor was introduced by Ms. Pat Alivia, a Salesian Cooperator. They first sponsored sometime in 2017 for a year and renewed their commitment two months back. Currently, they have been feeding 1,000 children ranging from ages 4 to 12 years old. The feeding program runs this service from Monday to Saturday.
Together with the YKMK, they help address the malnutrition problem of the children and even assist them if they need to be dewormed.
The total number of recipients has increased to 5,250 beneficiaries and is expected to increase further in the coming months.
The volunteers use the colored ID system to monitor the recipients’ attendance. Monthly progress reports and status of the children are also submitted to the sponsors for updates.
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