OMF donates 4,000 kilograms of vegetables to frontliners, marginalized families
On top of providing personal protective equipment (PPEs) to frontliners and care packages to low-income families in areas placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), One Meralco Foundation (OMF) procured more than four tons of fresh produce and donated these to various hospitals, temporary shelters, and marginalized communities. The initiative is a partnership between OMF and Bayad Center, a Meralco subsidiary.
The project, dubbed “From the Farmers to the Frontliners (and Marginalized),” was aimed at providing much-needed nourishment to those who are most vulnerable to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). These include the homeless and low-income families, and the heroes fighting the coronavirus at the frontlines. It also helped vegetable farmers, whose business came to a standstill during the lockdown, to earn an income when they needed it the most.
Beginning April, farmers from Batan, Kabayan, Benguet began delivery of 4,000 kilograms of assorted vegetables. OMF donated these to Cardinal Santos Medical Center, The Medical City, Philippine General Hospital, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Pagamutan ng Dasmariñas, Las Piñas General Hospital, Pasay General Hospital, Navotas Hospital, Ospital ng Malabon and Ospital ng Imus.
Marginalized communities in Quezon City, Antipolo City, Manila City, Valenzuela City, Taguig City, San Juan City, Mandaluyong City, Caloocan City and Pateros also benefitted from the project.
Throughout the ECQ, OMF has been providing care packages and PPEs to various institutions and communities. To date, the foundation has donated more than 17,000 facemasks, face shields, protective suits and surgical gloves to healthcare workers in over 30 hospitals and local government units. These include the 10,000 face masks donated by telecommunications company, FiberHome.
Conducting relief operations during the ECQ was a tough challenge, not only because of the limited mobility but also because of the risks involved.
OMF provided care packages to close to 8,000 low-income families in the Meralco franchise area, with donations from the Meralco Employees’ Fund for Charity (MEFCI), and individual contributions of Meralco employees.
The foundation also provided desktop computers to the Philippine Genome Center, which serves as the COVID-19 command center of the University of the Philippines system, and to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC). SBMA and PRC are building a testing facility at the Subic Bay Freeport that could process around 2,000 samples per day.
In partnership with eSakay, OMF provided free shuttle service to more than 63,000 health workers and essential service providers using the electric vehicles of Meralco’s end-to-end electric transport solutions subsidiary.
“Conducting relief operations during the ECQ was a tough challenge, not only because of the limited mobility but also because of the risks involved. Thanks to our peers in Meralco, our advocacy partners, and donors, we were able to reach out to more frontliners and families,” expressed Jeffrey Tarayao, OMF President.
“Aside from Meralco, we also received a generous donation from Meralco employees, who raised more than PhP 2 million from their own pockets to aid our crisis response efforts. It is an honor to be trusted by individuals and institutions within and outside of Meralco. We assure them that every bit of their donation benefits those who need it the most,” he added.
It is an honor to be trusted by individuals and institutions within and outside of Meralco.