Negros foundation gets award for giving 7M meals to kids

FNRI Director Dr. Mario Capanzana, Luis Araneta, Millie Kilayko, DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevarra, Milette Regalado, DOST Neg. Occ. Provincial Director Allan Daraug and Dr. Cecilio Adorna, Kabalikat chairman of the Board of Judges, (l-r) at the awarding rites yesterday.

BACOLOD CITY — A foundation providing meals to undernourished children in evacuation centers and remote areas received the 1st Kabalikat Achievement Award from the Department of Science and Technology.

The Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC) Foundation was one of the recipients of award for providing 7,471,691 Mingo Meals to undernourished children.

NVC president Millie Kilayco received the award, that was accompanied by a P200,000-cash prize, from DOST Undesecretary Rowena Guevara and Food Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) Director Mario Capanzana.

Kilayko was accompanied by NVC Executive Director Milette Regalado and Operations Manager Luis Araneta in receiving the NVC award at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel in Makati City, Friday.

NVC received the DOST Food and  Nutrition Research Institute “Technology Adaptor Innovation Award”  in the large scale category.

The award was given for NVC’s successfully engaging various sectors, including local farmers producing the raw materials for the complementary blends, in addressing malnutrition among children, FNRI Director  Mario Capanzana said.

NVC has also demonstrated excellent management and marketing skills, and introduced  product innovations  like additional variants  in the original  formulation,  plus extensive reach  to indigenous communities, he added, in the foundation’s citation.

Kilayko said NVC has delivered more than seven million Mingo Meals   in 34 provinces since  the DOST FNRI introduced the foundation to complementary food to provide nutritional support for infants and toddlers in deprived communities in remote areas seven years ago, she said.

Mingo is a nutritious instant complementary food made of rice, mongo (mung beans), and malunggay (moringa), Kilayko said.

The foundation has sourced the materials for its Mingo Meals from 222 farmers, she added.