Hope for the hungry
Since the quarantine, it’s been a busy time for Mau Aguasin, a photographer who lives in Las Piñas City. Also a meat shop and grocery owner, in the beginning, she had to deal with panic buys while juggling shifting operations to online and phone-in delivery systems to ensure the safety of her staff and customers. They were naturally highly anxious and frustrated, suddenly faced with an invisible but very real enemy: fear. And the mother of all fears is the fear of the unknown.
With resources being poured into fighting Covid-19, including scientific research, more is known about it than how to put food on the table in a country where many live a handto-mouth existence. With the economy hit hard, the most vulnerable in society are the street dwellers who have nothing. At least in Las Piñas, they have a miracle in Mau, who has been driving around making miles of smiles with Project Food Trunk LP.
What has quarantine been like for you?
The self-isolation and working from home are the easiest parts until your staff asks about an uncertain future. Or until you receive a call from an anxious customer. Then you feel how much fear has deeply and collectively affected people’s spirits, how it can paralyze and trigger aggressive and hurtful behavior. It has been a battlefield since the first week of March. The store, my house, and all communication lines have been the “command center.” Nothing is normal, nothing is certain, but at the same time, nothing is hopeless.
How did your relief project start?
I was headed to the bank one night, and stopped by 7-Eleven to get snacks. A lolo, who looked like he survived a stroke, was attending the parking area. He was staring at my bag of snacks. I asked him if he had already eaten (this was around 8:15 p.m.), and he replied “no,” shivering.
I gave him cash for two meals, and he cried tears of joy. Driving back home, I wondered about him. How about for the next day? Where will he buy food? How will he cook it? I felt sad and helpless and told my housemate Precious about the lolo, and she said, “Okay, lutuan natin sila.”
Why did you call it Project Food Trunk LP?
I called it Project Food Trunk LP because it’s like a simple version of a mobile pantry/kitchen (a car trunk conversion) roaming the main roads of Las Piñas with hot homecooked meals, snacks, beverages, and some hygiene products. We park in front of people on the sidewalks, banks, and closed establishments by the highway, pop open our trunk and let them “shop” for what they need for the day, while practicing no contact and social distancing.
For me, it’s dignified relief. Rather than tossing around plastic bags of random relief goods, I wanted to let them choose. Surprisingly, on some stops, they just wanted one coffee sachet and water. Others get a little more for their babies back home or wherever they are spending the night. It is better they do not need to line up and they can rely on daily stops, so they can plan on what they need the next day.
The homecooked meals are made with love. Neighbors also send food as pledges. People started messaging us on social media. We weren’t expecting voluntary donors so fast. I took photos of the people we met on day one just so we could remember who we encountered. It’s the community taking care of the community, donors helping donors to sustain this love.
Do you worry about donation fatigue?
I drove around a few times to check for head count. The minimum budget that we need is the amount for a McDonald’s dinner for two. That can already feed 20 people. If no donations had come in, we would have managed, but God had other plans. Money was not the issue. I had to sit down and think more about the challenges of cooking, packing, and distributing every day for a group of 30 to 40 people.
That was the time I thought of homecooked donations that can be assembled in my house. Donors started helping each other so the beneficiaries can depend on the system. We are now taking pledges for two meals a day. The experience is not only for the street dwellers, it also has moved people living in bigger and more comfortable homes, triggering an empowering movement.
Are you a religious or spiritual person? How does your faith drive you with this project for example?
It has pushed me to believe more, more in everything. It has taught me to plan but let God move and provide for all I need. It has taught me to act on faith. Jesus reached out. He did not wait in his office for the oppressed. He walked miles to wherever they were, went into their homes, ate with the marginalized, and spent time just talking to them. He saved people by being a friend.
It has also taught me to leave room for miracles. I used to be a perfectionist. I am an amazing planner but I used to be intense in the execution. If we plan everything out and rely on ourselves, we crowd the stage where God will show off. All we have to do is surrender, be open, and selfless so God can access others through us. Every step of #ProjectFoodTrunkLP, I make it a point to stop and pray, and for a few seconds to be silent so I can listen for answers for simple decisions like which fruit or which soap, to big ones like protection during deliveries.
What details do you include that make your generosity more personal? How is it different from other feeding programs?
I print out words of hope, some from the Bible, some more general. It’s touching to see people reading and smiling when they receive the food. I had this vision of handing over yummy food and a promise of hope that feeds the spirit, too. It’s never only about the physical world.
I also add a touch of color by taping leaves I cut from my garden. My plants are slowly getting their overdue pruning. The leaves make the packages lovelier and the effort always translates into care.
Hot, homecooked, and healthy food packs are our top priority. They are delivered daily with care, conversation, prayer, and a declaration of hope. The trunk shopping experience is next, and the mini mobile pantry is the bonus. It is with hope we can make the beneficiaries feel loved and cared for. It’s more than just feeding people. It’s making people feel they’re not invisible.
For inquiries on how to help, you can send a direct message on Instagram to @mariaxaurora and @gumpalprecious. Some drop off their donations, others book a courier service in the morning for the afternoon route. They also accept transfers via BDO, BPI, Paypal, and GCash. Please message them for the full details. If you’re from BF Resort Village, Las Piñas, Mau and Precious also accept Labor of Love pledges, where one or two people help them pack, load, organize, drive, and distribute goods. It usually happens from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
‘For me, it’s dignified relief. Rather than tossing around plastic bags of random relief goods, I wanted to let them choose.’