Pet Food, Books, Medical Supplies: These Community Pantries Go Beyond the Basics

 

Community Paw-ntry by PAWS

We’re already extending help and kindness to fellow humans in need, why not for animals too? The Philippine Animal and Welfare Society (PAWS) set up their own paw-ntry for furbabies. You’ll find dog and cat food available for anyone in need to take. PAWS encouraged everyone to set up their own Community Paw-ntry in villages and barangays to help indigents with pets to take care of.

Those who want to donate or are in need of pet supplies can find the table outside the PAWS office, along Aurora Blvd., Katipunan Valley, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. The Community Paw-ntry is open from 8 AM to 5 PM daily except Sundays and holidays.

 

A Community Library

The Happy Liblarry’s books are up for grabs for anyone who needs free literature. Lorna Zaragosa, the woman behind the initiative, shares that she has always wanted to start a mobile library with free books and snacks for kids. Her Community Library is now a tribute to her late father who loved reading books.

You can find The Happy Liblarry in Quezon City at Benefits St., Brgy. Sangandaan, Project 8, across SM Savemore Market. Zaragosa mentioned she still has so many books to give away so they aren’t accepting donations at the moment. But you can instead send them food or cash donations to keep the community pantry going. Check out The Happy Liblarry on Facebook.

 

Driver Pantry for delivery riders

Over at Better Living in Paranaque, the Poblete family started a Driver Pantry for the hardworking Ate and Kuya delivery riders in their area. Drivers can take a quick break from their deliveries by getting cup noodles, cookies, water, coffee, and all sorts of snacks laid out on the table. Those who want to help these riders can send the Poblete family donations in cash or in-kind by messaging Abu Poblete on Facebook. You could even start your own driver pantry!

Mobile pantry by Go Bike

If you live in Pangasinan and can’t get to the nearest community pantry near you, don’t worry, bikers from Go Bike are doing their rounds to help more people out. Their Community Pantry with Free Healthcare Services on Wheels pedals around Bugallon, Pangasinan. Trained Philippine Red Cross youth ride these bikes and have been providing medical service on wheels since 2020. With the boom of community pantries, they added free vegetables and goods to their concept.

To donate in cash or in-kind, you can reach out to Go Bike’s Facebook page, contact them at 09673701166, or send them an email at gobike@pydn.org.

 

Community Pantry Packs

Gisig Gising PH is an organization that started in 2020. It aimed to help local vegetable growers’ produce reach more people and for people to get access at no extra cost. Now, they’re focusing on helping refill community pantries in Metro Manila and are asking for donations.

Gising Gising PH is now letting you donate healthy foods easily through their Community Pantry Packs. Each pack contains 5 kilos of goods: sitaw, kalabasa, upo, kamatis, kamote, patatas, monggo, and carrots. All you have to do is to donate P200, P350, or P1,000 via their website and choose a community pantry location. Gising Gising PH will donate goods directly to your community of choice. If you’ve got questions, you can reach the group on Facebook.

 

Napkin, condom, and free HIV testing

Food isn’t the only thing you can get from the Matatag Community Pantry in Quezon City, they also have a box for free napkins, diapers, and condoms. Contact numbers for free HIV testing and hotlines for women abuse victims are also written on signages.

 

Red-tagged?

Almost 200 community pantries have cropped up since the first one in Maginhawa. It has attracted long lines of people waiting for their turn to get what they need. But amid heartwarming news of community love, some pantries had to cease operations for fear of being red-tagged. Ana Patricia Non’s Maginhawa community pantry paused its operations on April 20 due to red-tagging issues. Several groups accused the community pantries of having ties to communist groups. Volunteers from other pantries across the metro have also shared that the police have dropped by their stalls and asked questions profiling the organizers.

‘ANG DUMI PO NG QUESTION NA YAN.’ Ana Patricia Non criticized a media question on whether she has communist links. @denverINQ pic.twitter.com/8cRAB8bP5s

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) April 20, 2021

In a press conference held on the same day, Non talked to the media to clear her name. “Ang dumi po ng question na ‘yan kasi po last thing na kailangan kong i-explain sa mga tao ay kung ano ako, sino ba ako, kasi malinaw ang intensyon ko. Gusto ko lang po may ma-i-set-up na community pantry and makakain yung mga tao pang-tawid gutom,” she said.

 

The spirit of Bayanihan lives on

STATEMENT OF QUEZON CITY MAYOR JOY BELMONTE

I would like to personally assure Ms. Ana Patricia Non and other like-minded individuals that the local government of Quezon City fully supports Community Pantries. pic.twitter.com/LSWcdwwMWJ

— Quezon City Government (@QCGov) April 20, 2021

After Non asked Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte for help, the mayor assured everyone that Quezon City fully supports the community pantry initiatives. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque likewise addressed the issue saying that aside from health protocol worries, the government has nothing against community pantries.

“Let’s just say the President welcomes all initiatives na makakatulong sa ating kababayan habang tayo ay nasa pandemya,” said Roque.

 

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