A Roman Catholic chapel is made a site of community pantry as youth groups including media men also put up their own joining a number of initiatives of sharing foods on the table to help the most affected during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Angel Almario and Amira Dela Cruz, barangay youth leaders with their members established the “Sto. Cristo De Maysantol Community Pantry” in Barangay Maysantol using the chapel facility.
On Monday night, Almario posted on his social media account the group’s P4,300 worth cash collection. They have bought rice, cooking oil, canned goods and noodles.
A GCash number is posted for the contribution.
Residents donated coffee sachets, spaghetti packs, Purefoods corned beef, vegetables, pancit and spaghetti packs, trays of eggs, etc.
Almario sees to it the social distancing is highly observed. Youth members Mark Justice Capicio, Shaina Capicio and Jackielyn De Jesus spray alcohol on the hands of the residents leaving the pantry.
In City of Malolos, local digital TV reporter and Radio Veritas Correspondent Theofel Santos and wife, Barngay Mabolo Councilor Lalaine Santos had their spot in front of their house. Some media friends also donated trays of egg, bread, etc.
Santos told NEWS CORE they managed to serve 100 community members in two Purok in Mabolo. They target to provide for the two other Purok during the weekend.
When he posted his plan for a community pantry, he said, even politician friends–a vice mayor, a councilor, two village heads made voluntary contributions.
He said the food packs–garlic, onion, rice, tomato, cooking oil, eggplant, vinegar, soy sauce, potatoes, red egg, sardines, corned beef reached P15,000.
Santos said folks in the line ask how many they can get, in one case, the egg. “You can get two each,” he told them. But, some still hastily sneaks their hands and had two more. “You cannot stop them, we just allowed it. But our pleas is not to take many or everything,” he said.
The couple would want to introduce next time the mobile community pantry.
In Plaridel, 25 year old vegetable wholesaler and retailer Jepoy De Leon moved his community pantry from the public market to Barangay Lipana, in front of his mother’s house to strictly observe social distancing.
