HOPE IN EVERY BAG

There is hope in every bag—quite literally. Since it was first launched 11 years ago, the Bags of Hope Program has come a long way, providing school supplies to thousands of scholars. This year, the project received P2.3 million in donations—which more than doubles the amount gathered in all of the 10 years of the campaign combined. The Bags of Hope Program is a joint project of Robinsons Supermarket, Unilever Philippines and World Vision. Over the years, it has provided school supplies such as pencils, pencil cases, pad papers, and rulers to thousands of World Vision kids. This year, the collected funds would be used to distribute crayons and coloring books. “It’s heartwarming to see how big the project has become over the years. It’s easy for us to take things for granted, but for these kids, these school supplies mean a lot. More than the material things, it’s important for us to let these kids know that we care about them. Hopefully, that creates a cycle of goodness,” said Karl Cotaoco, Unilever’s modern trade director. The concept of the Bags of Hope Program is simple yet very engaging, which made it easy and fun for shoppers to get involved. For every purchase of Bags of Hope Pack, (which was available for purchase in 130 Robinsons Supermarket stores nationwide from April to July), shoppers were given the option to further extend help, by adding P10 in their purchase if they wished to donate a school supply kit to a World Vision kid. While Robinsons Supermarket, Unilever and World Vision are overwhelmed by how the call for donations was wellreceived, continue to find ways to make the program even bigger in including a possibility of making the project a year-long activity. The Bags of Hope Program proves that people are more than willing to help given the opportunity. More importantly, it brings smiles to the faces of thousands of children with a simple act of kindness, which hopefully jumpstarts a life full of dreams.