Bayanihan at Maginhawa community pantry

flooded last year because it feels good to help. As they say, it’s better to be the one helping than to be the one getting help),” said Teresita.

But givers are not all from the neighborhood. Delivery riders also come and go leaving plastic bags and boxes of relief goods from kilometers away, like E. Rodriguez, Balara, and España.

As of writing, more than 20,000 have seen Ann’s charitable initiative on her Facebook page alone. And that includes University of the Philippines’ researchers Kat, Migo, and Ezra who sent groceries as soon as they saw the post. “In times of difficulty, it’s so beautiful to have this, where we can show that we care for each other,” said Kat.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT IN ACTION 'From each according to his ability, to each according to his need' is a Marxist slogan, but to see this utopian ideal in action on Maginhawa Street is a cause of celebration, not concern