“Salamat at may Jollibee Mobile Kitchen. Lalong lumakas ang loob namin para bumangon.” (Thank you because there is Jollibee Mobile Kitchen. This gave us the determination to rise up and move forward).
– Armando Alfar
Armando Alfar is one of the thousand beneficiaries of the Mobile Kitchen of Jollibee Group FoodAID roving in different locations in Leyte since November 20, 2013. The Mobile Kitchen is part of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) and the Jollibee Group Foundation’s (JGF) termed Jollibee Group FoodAID to help address the issue of hunger in the province, a major concern after the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda. The Mobile Kitchen also addresses the immediate problem in the communities and evacuation centers where there are limitations on how to use uncooked food donations.
JFC’s corporate supply chain, Zenith Foods Corporation, as well as franchisees and local partners facilitate and help out to bring the food served in the Mobile Kitchen to the beneficiaries.
As of December 4, 2013, more than 32,000 beneficiaries have been served “hot lugaw and boiled egg” in different hospitals and evacuation centers in Ormoc City and Palo, Leyte.
“Sobrang saya namin na may lugaw kami galing sa Jollibee, kadako sa tabang ani saamo lalo na ngayon walang trabaho ang asawa ko,” (We’re very happy we have porridge from Jollibee, this is a big help especially now that my husband doesn’t have any source of living), said Arlene Pasturan, mother of five kids from Ormoc, Leyte.
The Mobile Kitchen is primarily supervised by JFC – from the preparation of the food ingredients, to the set-up of the cooking equipment on the sites, to the actual distribution of the food to the beneficiaries. At the same time, JFC also shares the processes of the Mobile Kitchen to the community to ensure sustainability of the project.
“The Mobile Kitchen setup is like JGF’s Busog, Lusog, Talino (BLT) School Feeding Program where parents are taught to cook so that they can apply and continue this even beyond JFC’s assistance,” Jollibee Group Foundation President Grace Tan Caktiong said.
JFC will be turning over all the cooking equipment and tools as well as premix ingredients of the lugaw to the local authorities and civic partners for continuation of the Mobile Kitchen until end of December.
Aside from the Mobile Kitchen, JFC and JGF continue to distribute JFC products and food relief packs through Jollibee Group FoodAID program to severely devastated families in the Visayas.
JFC and JGF are also prepping up their planned rehabilitation efforts in the region where they are committed to conduct a special school feeding, provide support for farmers’ livelihood recovery and provide technical skills training and college scholarship for affected youth.
As of today, total donation from JFC and donors has reached P41 Million.