Friday, May 7, 2021

Beyond Community Pantries: How You Can Help Fight Hunger in the Philippines

food organizations

(SPOT.ph) The World Bank in December 2020 projected that the ongoing pandemic will sink 2.7 million more Filipinos into poverty. That's millions of people without a stable job, a decent home, or regular meals. Community pantries and kitchens, organization-led relief operations, and other privately initiated projects have sprung up in the past year, complementing long-term campaigns of non-governmental organizations battling hunger in the country.

Also read:
Here's How to Set Up a Community Pantry in Your Area
10 Places in the Philippines Where You Can Volunteer
10 Great Ways to Volunteer Around the Philippines
10 Organizations You Can Join to Save the World

If you’re looking to volunteer or donate your resources, here are 10 food organizations in the Philippines that can use your support:

Walang Iwanan Alliance

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/Walang Iwanan Alliance

Walang Iwanan Alliance is a citizen-led initiative that was launched in September 2020. More than providing hot meals, the group's goal is to set up a network of food distribution systems, starting with food banks in key locations. They also support and expand already existing efforts for a more strategic anti-hunger plan. Their battlecry is "Kung hindi gutom kayang tumulong."

How you can help: Donate your Globe Rewards, send cash, or drop off dry goods

Kusina ng Kalinga

food organizations
PHOTO BY Website/Kusina ng Kalinga

Kusina ng Kalinga is Gawad Kalinga's anti-poverty campaign to end hunger among Filipino children. Established in 2014, they have now served more than one million vegetable-based meals in their 51 kitchens spread out across the country. But Kusina ng Kalinga (KnK) goes beyond feeding kids in their partner communities. Their KnK kitchens also serve as hubs where parents, teachers, local government units, local farmers and food providers, corporate partners can come together to build a "sustainable culture of caring and sharing."

How you can help: Be a "Hunger Warrior" by feeding one child per day for P30

People for Accountable Governance and Sustainable Action

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/pagasa

PAGASA, which is short for People for Accountable Governance and Sustainable Action, believes that the government should always be held accountable for their actions especially when people's lives are on the line. While criticizing the inaction of those in power and lack of long-term solutions, the civic group also raises funds for people who are hungry to help them get through the day.

How you can help: Donate funds for their #FeedThePeople campaign

Food for the Hungry Philippines

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/Food for the Hungry

Food for the Hungry Philippines started out as a non-profit organization meant to serve refugees from the Vietnam War. But since they established a Philippine chapter in 1979, they've served almost 8,000 children and transformed 26 communities in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas. Food for the Hungry Philippines tackles the problem of poverty through a holistic approach by also developing the communities' access to health, education, and livelihood.

How you can help: Become a Food for the Hungry volunteer

Action Against Hunger Philippines

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger, which was founded in 1979 in Paris, is a global humanitarian organization that's present in across 50 countries around the world. They started their Philippine mission in 2000, and have since helped over 1.8 million Filipinos, including the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda and those in Marawi and Zamboanga. Aside from preventing and treating undernutrition in isolated rural communities and overcrowded urban spaces, they also work on providing access to safe water and promoting sanitation and hygiene in far-flung areas, and designing long-term solutions for food security.

How you can help: Register your food business and donate a portion of your profits through the Love Food Give Food program

Feed the Children Asia

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/Feed the Children

Founded in 1979 in Oklahoma, Feed the Children is an anti-hunger organization that implements a "Child-Focused Community Development" approach. They have worked in the Philippines since 1984, and have since reached out to more than 283,000 individuals in 38 communities. They're specifically promoting child-managed savings groups, which lets kids save a little amount of money and pool them into a community-managed savings. This not only allows them to have some money to pay for their school fees or buy new school uniforms, but also empowers the whole community to become self-sustaining.

How you can help: Start your own fundraising event or donate through their website

Rise Against Hunger Philippines

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/Rise Against Hunger

International organization Rise Against Hunger, originally called Stop Hunger Now, is on a mission to end hunger by 2030. They have been in the Philippines since 2013, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. A local chapter was officially established and registered in 2015. Since then, they've been preparing meals in areas most affected by natural disasters through the help of dedicated on-site volunteers and their private partners.

How you can help: Host a meal packaging event with your company, organization, or even just your network of friends

Reach Out Feed Philippines

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/Reach Out Feed Philippines

Reach Out Feed Philippines' mission is to feed and nourish Filipino children "regardless of religion, ethnicity, or gender" though their partner communities, churches, and public schools. In response to the effects of the ongoing pandemic, they are focusing on providing food assistance to families of daily wage earners. They're currently operating twice or thrice a week in disadvantaged communities in Antipolo, Cainta, Quezon City, and Pangasinan.

How you can help: Donate online for their COVID-19 relief operations

Project PEARLS

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/Project PEARLS

Project PEARLS has also reallocated their efforts to "feed the hungriest during the COVID-19 pandemic" since their partner communities are the most vulnerable in this crisis. They're currently focused on providing for Helping Land in Tondo, where dwellers scavenge through an active dumpsite and make meals out of leftover food from restaurants; St. Martha's Village in Bulacan, where they have over 300 scholars; Erika Louise Ville in Cavite, which is a relocation site of 700 families that were originally from Tondo; and Zamboanga Sibugay in Mindanao.

How you can help: Volunteer in their outreach activities in Tondo

Kabisig ng Kalahi

food organizations
PHOTO BY Facebook/Kabisig ng Kalahi

Kabisig ng Kalahi was founded by University of the Philippines alumna Vicky Wieneke in 2001. One of the organization's first initiatives was a structured feeding program as a response to the alarming rate of malnutrition in Metro Manila. They have since expanded and regularly provides for 50 barangays. Kabisig ng Kalahi also has the Feeding Hope Supplemental Feeding Program, which is in partnership with Mead Johnson Nutrition Philippines, that provides nutritionally balanced meals for a six-month period to school-aged children.

How you can help: Donate to Kabisig ng Kalahi

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