As the community pantry spirit continues to spread in the country, fans of K-pop superstars BTS have set up their own in Cavite to help people in need amid the ongoing pandemic.
The BTS ARMY Cavite Fanbase decided to establish two community pantries in Dasmariñas, Cavite: Windward Hills Subdivision and Manuela Ville Subdivision.
BTS fan Bie Rosales, who is in-charge of one of the pantries, told Manila Bulletin that they came up with the community pantry idea last March but because of a fire near their area, they decided to help those affected by it first.
“Nagbigay kami ng hygiene kits sa mga nasunugan sa tulong ng mga co-ARMYs namin na nagdonate. Pagkatapos po nito tsaka naman namin sinimulan yung community pantry na idea po ng mommy Jess ko na nasa Japan, naisipan niya po itong simulan noong bumalik uli ang lalawigan ng Cavite sa ECQ (We gave hygiene kits to those who were affected by the fire through the help of our co-ARMYs. After which we decided to start the community pantry, which was the idea of my mommy Jess who is in Japan. She thought of starting this when Cavite went back to ECQ .”
Some of the items available at the pantries include rice, vegetables, canned goods, coffee and noodles.
“Ito po ay naisip naming way para makapagbigay ng tulong, pag-asa at ngiti sa aming kapwa naming Pilipino dahil alam din po naming mahirap na para sa lahat ang maghanap buhay sa kalagitnaan ng pandemya (This is our way of providing help, hope and smile to our fellow Filipinos because we also know that it’s difficult for everyone to earn a living amid the pandemic),” said Rosales.
For the BTS ARMY community pantries, Rosales said they “quickly tapped our loyal major ARMY sponsors.”
“They quickly gave us without even inquiring too much. That’s how much they trust us po. We do not want to brag but this fanbase po kasi is known for being one of the most active BTS fanbases when it comes to charities,” she said.
Last year alone, the fanbase collected P450,000 for the victims of typhoon Ullyses when it struck the Philippines in November.
“More than anyone else, ang ARMY Cavite Fanbase po ay instrument lang. The real heroes here are the members of the ARMY fandom who are always willing to donate and help which is also influenced by BTS knowing na madami din po silang natutulungang charities kaya na-iinspire kami lalo tumulong. (More than anyone else, teh ARMY Cavite Fanbase is only an instrument. The real heroes here are the members of the ARMY fandom who are always willing to donate and help which is also influenced by BTS knowing that they have helped many charities, that’s why we are inspired more to help),” she added.