To strengthen efforts against hunger, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched the “Walang Gutom Kitchen” on Monday, Dec. 16—its first food bank initiative—in collaboration with leading private corporations who have been encouraged to donate goods to support of the cause.

The initiative aims to establish a "soup kitchen" for the poor, similar to the “Walang Gutom Program,” focusing on addressing hunger and malnutrition, particularly among homeless individuals and families.

“At its core, the kitchen provides nutritious meals tailored to dietary needs, along with access to hygiene facilities, medical care, and laundry services,” DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao explained.

Each beneficiary will receive nutritional meals worth P50.

“But this initiative goes beyond immediate relief because it includes learning and developmental interventions such as parenting education and character-building activities that will be held in the multipurpose facility through the establishment of Tara, Basa! reading corners,”, Dumlao said, noting that the Kitchen features the convergence of the three innovative programs of the agency, namely the “Pag-Abot Program,” “Walang Gutom Program,” and the “Tara Basa! Tutoring Program.”

Through the Walang Gutom Kitchen, the DSWD hopes to engage community stakeholders in providing various developmental services to clients, particularly food provision, in line with Republic Act No. 9803 or the Food Donation Act of 2009.

Located at the Nasdake Building in Pasay City, the facility will provide comprehensive biopsychosocial services to address involuntary hunger and meet the diverse needs of homeless families, children, and individuals in street situations.

“The Walang Gutom Kitchen is a community hub offering holistic solutions to homelessness and hunger, thus its primary clientele will be children, individuals, and families in street situations, and other Filipinos experiencing involuntary hunger,” Dumlao explained.

The target beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom Kitchen are individuals and families in street situations, especially those reached through the DSWD’s Pag-Abot Program.

Dumlao explained that clients, whether reached through the Pag-Abot Program or those who walk into the hub, will receive transient shelter and other basic needs, based on assessments by social workers.

The program will also facilitate individualized case management, including assessments, interventions, planning, and progress tracking to support the development of homeless individuals.