Community pantries, local bakers get boost

Following the emergence of a community pantry in Quezon City to extend help to those who were greatly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the Aboitiz Group — through its corporate social responsibility arm Aboitiz Foundation and its various business units — has supported community pantry initiatives covering 22 barangays in several provinces through its “Accessible Bread for Communities” campaign.

It aims to assist community pantries by providing freshly baked breads daily for one month which the Aboitiz Foundation — in partnership with the Aboitiz business units — started in Tarlac, Cebu, Iligan, Davao, Zambales and Taguig.

Aboitiz Foundation president and COO Maribeth Marasigan stressed the need for collective efforts and support for communities that are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic.

“In the spirit of modern-day Bayanihan and inspired by the Maginhawa Community Pantry initiative, we join everyone in this endeavour through ‘Accessible Bread for Communities.’ It’s a long road to recovery and we might be far from over — but through collective generosity, we can feed our fellow Filipinos and recover together as one community,” Marasigan said.

She added that the project not only brings donations to the communities, but also provides livelihood to many bakers in the barangays covered

A total of seven bakeries were tapped by Aboitiz Foundation and Pilmico, the food unit of the group which resulted to the production of 27,000 bread packs for the project and brought in much-needed income to their bakeries, especially given all the uncertainties caused by the pandemic.

For the Aboitiz Group, supporting communities is part of the DNA of the conglomerate.

“This activity is a testament to the core values of teamwork and responsibility within the Aboitiz Group. In Aboitiz Construction, we strive to help our project sites’ host communities and find ways to fulfill our commitment to building a better future,” said Nina Ylagan-Pedro, vice president for Corporate Affairs and Services of ACI.

Since 2013, the Aboitiz Group has been supporting the livelihood of local bakers through Pilmico’s Kutitap Feeding Program, an initiative addressing malnutrition by providing baked goods in public schools.

Pilmico sources the bread from local bakers that it supports through technical training and equipment donation. In the same manner, the “Accessible Bread for Communities” campaign centered on sustainable livelihood development by tapping local bakeries while supporting community pantry initiatives in the areas.

The campaign also provided donors — especially those based abroad — the means to donate and help their communities through the Aboitiz Foundation’s crowdfunding platform KINDer.

The campaign aims to assist community pantries by providing freshly baked breads daily for one month.