DSWD’s feeding program gets needed boost

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has tied up with Julie’s Franchise Corp. for its supplementary feeding program (SFP) for children aged 3-5 years old.

DSWD-7 Regional Director Mercedita Jabagat signed a memorandum of agreement with Julie’s Bakeshop’s general manager Art Zamora and president and chief executive officer Joseph Gandionco at the Julie’s Franchise Corp. main office in Cebu City.

Under the agreement, Julie’s Franchise will donate to the DSWD Central Office P2 for every loaf of ‘Bayan’ sliced bread sold this year.

The DSWD Central Office will then distribute the funds to its regional offices for the purchase of growth monitoring tools, like weighing scales and height boards, needed to monitor the beneficiaries’ nutritional status in all day-care centers and supervised neighborhood play groups nationwide.

“We are pleased to have this partnership with Julie’s Bakeshop and hope that loyal customers of Julie’s will support this endeavor and contribute to the government’s efforts in fighting malnutrition,” said Jabagat.

The SFP, which started in 2011, serves hot meals to children aged 3-5 years old five days in a week for 120 days.

Last year, Julie’s Franchise Corp. partnered with World Fund Program (WFP) in launching the ‘Bayan’ sliced bread to support the WFP’s school feeding program.