Patricia “Patreng” Non. Image from Facebook / Patreng Non
MANILA, Philippines — Food aid will be distributed house-to-house within Quezon City during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to eliminate long lines in the face of the COVID-19 Delta variant threat.
Community Pantry founder Ana Patricia Non explained that the pantry organizers made this decision to “ensure the safety” of the pantry’s beneficiaries.
“So amin po, ‘yung mga pantry po malinaw sa amin na hindi kami magpapapila, iha-house to house po namin, hahanap po kami ng transpo, tapos contactless na distribution,” said Non over Teleradyo when asked on the scenario of the community pantries in QC during the first day of ECQ on Friday.
(So here in our pantries, it is clear that there will be no lines, it will be distributed on a house-to-house basis, we will find transportation, and the distribution will be contactless.)
‘Yung mga magdo-donate ida-drop off nila sa mga community pantries, ire-repack, tapos ‘yung mga organizers and volunteers ihahatid sa mga poorest of the poor families,” she added.
(The community pantries will be the drop-off area, the goods will also be repacked there, then the organizers and volunteers will bring it to the poorest of the poor families.)
Non, who called on the public to donate to their local food pantries, suggested that the donors buy fresh produce from farmers instead.
“As much as possible, para makatulong tayo sa farmers natin, bumili po tayo ng fresh produce po,” she said.
(As much as possible, to help our farmers, let’s buy their fresh produce.)
Non began the Maginhawa Community Pantry initiative last April during the previous ECQ. The project led to the opening of several hundred food pantries nationwide.
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