The first food bank in the country, the “Walang Gutom” Kitchen by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), has opened its doors in Pasay City.
In response to the issues of hunger and food wastage, Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the food bank is a joint effort by the private and public sectors.
“This Walang Gutom Kitchen is a food bank kung saan ang private sector at ang public sector ay magsasanib-pwersa para mabawasan ang wastage ng pagkain at matugunan ang problema ng kagutuman sa Metro Manila and later on, when we expand this type of food banks, nationwide,” Gatchalian said during an interview on the sidelines of the Kitchen launch.
(This Walang Gutom Kitchen is a food bank for which the private sector and the public sector will join forces to cut down on food wastage and respond to the problem of hunger in Metro Manila and, later on, when we expand this type of food banks, nationwide.)
The project will observe Republic Act (RA) 9803 or the Food Donation Act of 2009 in devising the means for encouraging beneficial food donations, he emphasized.
“Ang plano natin is to expand it later on and open more of its branches so that ‘yung mga kababayan natin na nasa pribadong sektor na may excess na pagkain, pwede nilang maibaba rito sa Walang Gutom Kitchen para 'yung mga nagugutom nating mga kababayan, pwedeng-pwedeng pumunta rito anytime para makakuha ng libreng pagkain,” Gatchalian explained.
(Our plan is to expand it later on and open more of its branches so that our countrymen in the private sector who have an excess of food can bring the food here in the Walang Gutom Kitchen so our hungry countrymen may come here and get free food.)
“Sa lahat ng mga kababayan natin na gustong tumulong sa ating mga kababayan na nagugutom ... we will take on any type of food donation and drinks donation, whether gusto mo na own personal capacity or nagkataon na may negosyo ka at may sumobrang pagkain, basta galing sa pribadong sektor, alinsunod na rin sa batas, tatanggapin namin iyan para ipakain at ipamahagi araw-araw sa mga nagugutom nating mga kababayan,” he added.
(To all our countrymen who would like to help our fellow Filipinos who are starving … we will take on any type of food and drinks donation, whether you want to give from your own personal capacity or if you so happen to have a business and food left over, so long as it comes from the private sector, in keeping with the law, we will accept that so we may feed and distribute food to our hungry countrymen daily.)
Two more agency programs can be availed at the Kitchen: the Pag-abot program and the Tara, basa! tutoring program. Beneficiaries, whether visiting of their own accord or prompted by personnel of the Pag-abot program, will receive food along with other essentials upon assessment.
First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos was in attendance at the project launch, and assisted in handing out meals to beneficiaries.
