BAGUIO CITY – For Kristine Suarez, managing a restaurant not only means having her own business. It is also serving as her vehicle to push for an advocacy in these trying times.
Suarez, who is in her late 30’s, had a scare of her life when she got afflicted with the dreaded coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) last May.
Suarez had to stay for almost a month at a hospital here as her situation became severe due to complications brought about by her asthma.
While she fully recovered from the disease, the experience opened her eyes and heart regarding the plight of those who were working within the hospital, particularly the medical frontliners.
Being in the food business, it was but natural for Suarez to offer her products to hospital staff for free.
“When they gratefully accepted the food I offered them and ate heartily, that is where I realized how hungry they really were,” said Suarez.
Apart from offering them food, Suarez also started to ask friends and business associates to join her in her effort to provide meals to these weary medical workers.
To make everything formal, Suarez created a group, the COVID Ward Food Donation Drive (CWFDD) where friends from here and abroad have been donating to their main cause, and that is to provide free meals to several more local hospitals.
The move has gained much momentum that Suarez has also expanded her donation from food to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).