The Quezon city government purchased 5.5 tons of squash from local formers for the food packs that are being distributed to residents under the special concern lockdown amid the high COVID-19 cases in the city.
"Isinama natin itong mga kalabasa sa food packs na ipinamimigay natin sa mga pamilyang nasa special concern lockdown areas para mas masustansyang pagkain na ang kanilang maihanda sa kanilang hapag kainan (We included these pumpkins in food packs that we will distribute to families in special concern lockdown areas so that they can prepare more nutritious food)," Mayor Joy Belmonte said.
"Kapag masustansyang pagkain na ang nakahain, magiging mas maganda ang immune system at resistensya na kailangan bilang panlaban sa mga sakit tulad ng COVID-19 (When nutritious food is served, the immune system gets a boost to fight diseases such as COVID-19), ” she added.
The city acquired the vegetable through the assistance of the Department of Agriculture Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS).
The city’s #GrowQC food security initiative is tasked to improve the food system and is committed to assist and support local provincial and urban farmers by buying their produce.
The GrowQC Mobile Kitchen will soon be serving hot meals for the needy in the city with the ingredients to be sourced from the Quezon City's community farms.
"Pagkabili natin sa QC community urban farms, we will supply these sa ating Grow QC mobile kitchen para makapagluto ng masustansyang pagkain tulad ng super lugaw at veggie sopas at dadalhin natin ito sa mga komunidad na lubos na naapektuhan ang kabuhayan dahil sa pandemya (When we buy from QC community urban farms, we will supply these to our Grow QC mobile kitchen to cook healthy food such as super porridge and veggie soup and we will take these to the communities whose livelihoods have been severely affected by the pandemic.),” Emmanuel Hugh Velasco, Food Security Task Force Co-Chairman and Sustainable Development Affairs Unit (SDAU) chief, said.
The “Grow QC: Kasama ka sa Pag-unlad sa Pagkain, Kabuhayan, at Kalusugan food security initiative” is the city’s way to help address the food, employment, and health challenges facing residents due to the pandemic.