Negros group gets P6M in donations, gives PPE sets to health workers, food to the poor

BACOLOD CITY—One of the most well-known groups here, the Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC) Foundation, has received P6 million in cash donations to help protect health workers on the frontline of the fight against COVID-19 and families suffering from livelihood loss as a result of lockdowns.

Millie Kilayko, NVC president, said “at no other time” in the foundation’s 10-year existence “have we seen as intense and passionate the merging of hearts and minds and energies as we have seen these past two-and-a-half months” since her group launched ‘Combat the COVID-19 Crisis’ projects.

The foundation had bought and distributed 17,040 personal protection equipment gowns, 8,467 face shields, and 4,643 face masks which were distributed to health workers in 27 hospitals, 32 health units and offices, and other frontline groups, organizations and private practitioners in Negros Occidental from March 14 to May 31.

It also distributed 468,441 mingo meals and 6,132 meal bags to the needy, the contents of which were produce bought from local farmers.

Kilayko said this enabled the foundation to move 37,079 kilograms of farm produce and fish catch from more than 200 small farmers and marginal fishermen.

“With grateful hearts, we humbly thank every donor and volunteer who reached out to us during this brief period, and allowed NVC to be an instrument of love to our community of both front-liners and the economically deprived, during this biggest crisis of our lifetime,” she said.

Kilayko said the work, however, is not over yet.

“The challenge of helping build communities among those hardest hit by this crisis, now confronts us,” she said, adding that NVC will unfold new initiatives to lift up those economically suffering from the effects of the pandemic.

Edited by TSB