LOS BAÑOS, Laguna - Following the lead of forerunners in Metro Manila, two community pantries popped up on Lopez Avenue here on Friday (April 16).
The makeshift pantries have signs that say "Kumuha base sa kailangan, magbigay base sa kakayahan (Pick up according to your needs, drop off according to your capability)." Kitchen staples like bread, noodles, and canned goods lay on top of the foldable tables.
"Unang daan ko po may mga nagkukumpulan na tao, noong pabalik ko lang nalaman na community pantry pala siya (When I first passed by, there were people huddled together, and when I went back, I learned that it was a community pantry)," Charlon Kim, a Los Baños resident, told the Manila Bulletin.
"Yung iba po nakatingin lang sa stalls saka nagtatanungan. May narining po ako na nag-usap na medyo malayo doon sa stalls at sinabi niya na libre at pwede kumuha (Some people were just looking at the stalls and asking questions. I heard people talking and someone said the goods are free)," he added.