‘The hungry are there; we need to feed them’

Conclusion

A hot lunch is prepared on weekends for 250 to 350 people (sometimes more) to be served for free to anybody in need of a meal– men, women, and kids who drop by Kusina and Panaderia ni Sta. Marta at the Caritas compound in Cebu City.

Donations have kept the center going since 2009.

Feeding the poor is an expected mission of the church. But Msgr. Achilles Dakay said he hopes the feeding program he helped set up can expand to receive donations of “unused and unconsumed food” from different hotels in Cebu.

“The extra food in hotels is just thrown in the garbage as waste. If only it can be gathered so we can recycle them to the taste of the poor,” he said.

Dakay said one hotel owner agreed to have unused food delivered to the center.

But the idea was shelved until some details are worked out.

“The question was when do we get it? I already have two donated picks ups to transport the food. We were told to have a chiller or freezer in the pickup truck because the food would get spoiled in 15 minutes,” he said.

Dakay said the idea was also raised to set apart a freezer in the hotels where unused food can be placed but the proposal has been shelved.

“For now, we just continue with how we feed the hungry. We have donors to buy rice, vegetables, and other things to make a lunch proper for the poor,” he said. One benefactor, he said, donates the interest of his bank deposits to the feeding program.

“The hungry are there. They may not be going to church but Christ did not say to only feed those who go to the church. We just have to feed the hungry,” he said.

DOLE OUTS?

Some skeptics believe a free feeding program encourages the poor to be dependent and lazy.

“There are some who call this a dole out. Look, it has been said that you must teach people how to fish instead of giving them fish. But the question is when you teach and they are hungry, how can they learn? Teaching them how to fish is another program. In the meantime, what we need to do is feed the hungry,” Dakay said.

One of those grateful for the kitchen’s hot meals on weekends is 59-year-old Danny Cloma.

Cloma used to work as a security guard in Cebu City Hall for five years until he suffered a heart attack six years ago and his left side was paralyzed.

Cloma, a native of Bislig City in Mindanao, has no home or relative to return to there. He lost contact with two daughters who “disappeared” in Cebu City.

Today, he lives on the sidewalk near Hamabar Plaza near the cathedral.

“Nagpasalamat ko nga naay feeding matag weekend. Wala gyud koy panginabuhian. Nangandoy ko nga makabalik og duty pero wala pa ko na-ayo. Dili pa ko dawaton sa agency. (I’m thankful that there’s a feeding program for us every weekend. I have no more livelihood. I wanted to return to work as a security guard but I’m not fully recovered and the security agency won’t rehire me),” Cloma said.

“Nag-ampo lang ko sa Ginoo. Ang Ginoo ray nasayod sa akong kinabuhi. (I just continue to pray to God. He alone knows what will happen to me.)”

(Editors Note: Those interested to support the Kusina ni Sta. Marta can contact Msgr. Dakay at the Archbishop’s Residence at D. Jakosalem Street, Cebu City.) /Ador Vincent Mayol, Reporter