Listed diversified firm San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has conducted food donation drive throughout Metro Manila as government imposes stricter measures following the surge of COVID-19 cases.
SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said hundreds of boxes of canned goods were sent out by the company to support the efforts of local government units (LGUs) within Metro Manila to provide food for vulnerable communities.
Initially, the company is donating 86,400 pieces of canned goods that can benefit 17,280 families in 16 Metro Manila LGUs, including Manila, Pasay, Caloocan, Las Pinas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Paranaue, Pateros, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela.
SMC also committed to deliver 148,200 packs of nutribun bread to Pasig City for soup kitchens, hospital front liners, and villages on granular lockdowns.
“This is just our initial effort. We will continue to monitor the situation and coordinate with the LGUs. If there is a greater need from the communities, we will adjust and give more," Ang said.
"We all have to do our part to ease the strain on our hospitals and medical front liners at this time. We have to help stop the spread and stay at home. To do this, we also have to ensure our least fortunate countrymen will not go hungry,” he added.
Last year, SMC donated P516 million worth of food during the early days of COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, its weekly nutribun donation drive has continued in critical areas such as Malolos, Bulacan; Tondo, Manila; Payatas, Quezon City,and Caloocan.
To date, SMC has distributed over a hundred thousand nutribuns to these communities with the help of partner organizations and LGUs.
Meanwhile, SMC’s Better World Tondo feeding center and food bank continues to provide support for families in Tondo’s poorest communities. It has been providing grocery packs since last year for some 465 families.
The company also built its own COVID-19 testing facility, Better World EDSA, to ensure the safety of its workforce and make RT-PCR testing more accessible to the public.
It likewise partnered with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to enable farmers to reach a wider market for their fresh produce through its network of Petron stations.
Recently, the company committed to spending P1 billion to shoulder the vaccination against COVID-19 of all its employees and the extended workforce.
SMC has also committed to pursuing its massive infrastructure projects to help the country recover from the economic impact of COVID-19 and generate much-needed jobs.