As proof that one individual with good intentions can help many others during a time of crisis, a student of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) set up a successful fundraising campaign to benefit Benguet farmers and UST Hospital (USTH) employees.
Third-year music education major Keisha de la Cerna told The Varsitarian, the official school publication of UST, that she spearheaded her "Benguet to USTE / Ayuda Para Kina Ate't Kuya" vegetable drive after being inspired by a similar one led by University of the Philippines-Manila students for the benefit of the Philippine General Hospital.
"After seeing the first batch and how there were numerous volunteer groups also helping farmers mobilize their crops to the city, I mirrored the same Project for UST, a slightly smaller scale," De la Cerna said.
The initiative also provided cash aid to 117 maintenance staff workers of the university who were on minimum wage and under "no work, no pay" contracts.
"I found that the public area staff the brunt of lockdown because compared with their counterparts assigned to school buildings, they received far less, if any at all," she added.
The campaign, which started on May 10, was able to collect a total of P254,997, exceeding the target of P250,000.