MORE than 10,000 individuals experiencing involuntary hunger have so far been served by the Walang Gutom Kitchen since the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched the initiative last Dec. 16.
At the Saturday News Forum, DSWD Undersecretary Eduardo Punay said the department was planning to scale up the program and expand it in targeted areas in the provinces, possibly within the year.
The Walang Gutom Kitchen, launched at the Nasdake Building, FB Harrison in Pasay City, is the country’s first public and private food bank collaboration/soup kitchen.
“Anytime, anyone na basta nagugutom, (welcome dito), mayroon din ‘yong mga construction worker na mga low income, walang pambili ng pagkain, ‘yong mga empleyadong low income or residente na walang pambili ng pagkain – they can just walk in there (Anytime, anyone who is hungry, [is welcome here]. We also have low-income construction workers, low-income employees, or residents who can barely afford food – they can just walk in there),” he said.
Apart from providing meals, Punay said, the project also aimed to address food wastage, allowing partner restaurants to donate their surplus supplies.
Since it opened, the food bank has attracted about 200 private volunteers to maintain daily operations.
The kitchen targets to provide at least 600 meals a day for breakfast and lunch, or until stocks run out.
Punay, meanwhile, assured the public that the donations and food served in Walang Gutom Kitchen were not “pagpag” or disscarded food nor leftovers.
“Our private sector is so proactive, so they produce extra for our beneficiaries. Now, this kitchen, as I said a while ago, is open from 6 a.m. until supply lasts,” he said.
The Walang Gutom Kitchen is the latest innovation of the DSWD aimed at addressing involuntary hunger and reducing food wastage by turning donated surplus food from hotels, restaurants, and organizations into hot and nutritious meals for hungry individuals.
In the same forum, Punay said the Marcos administration continued to address food poverty in the country through similar initiatives, including the Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program (FSP).
Be the first to comment