Photos from Maria Gracia
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A snack bar owner has found a way to share her blessings in this time of the pandemic — share these to the affected farmers in Barangay Mantalongon in Dalaguete town in southern Cebu and also to her community in San Fernando town also in southern Cebu.
Maria Gracia said in an interview that after seeing CDN Digital’s post of the unsold kilos of cabbage, she knew that she had to help in her own little ways.
The 32-year-old Gracia went to Mantalongon on Saturday, April 24, and bought the unsold kilos of cabbage and other vegetables there.
“Tag 2 pesos ang kilo sa cabbage nga ako napalit, but, of course, I didn’t pay for such price kay looy kau ang farmers halos i thank you na lang ilang kahago. Also bought other veggies didto and I added trays of eggs,” she said.
(The cabbage I bought was sold at P2 per kilo, but, of course, I did not pay for such a price because I pity the farmers, whose efforts to plant these vegetables would not be compensated. Also I bought other veggies there and trays of eggs.)
READ: Dalaguete farmers reel as oversupply of cabbage causes prices to plunge
The purchased cabbage, vegetables and eggs will be for the community pantry that she recently opened, specifically for the people in her community in San Fernando, who are in dire need in these time of crisis.
Gracia, who is also a midwife and runs a birthing center in the town, said that they started their community pantry on Friday, April 23, 2021.
Maria Gracia, who set up the San Fernando community pantry, buys the kilos of unsold cabbage from Mantalongon farmers in Dalaguete town.
She said she started the community pantry with her own funds, but she did not mind this because she knew that she was doing something good for her community.
“Seeing the joy in their faces and musulti nga ‘solve na ila panihapon’ is really heartwarming. [The] Funny thing is some who went to the pantry kay nag donate og cash (and donated cash) and some are goods to add in the pantry,” she added.
Gracia said this was one way of sharing what little blessings she earned from her snack bar business, which she had run for two years now, to those in need in her community.
Since their community pantry runs solely from donations and extra funds of Gracia from her snack bar, they cannot open everyday just yet.
The community pantry will also open this Monday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., which is located across San Fernando Central School.
People wait for their turn to get their vegetables and other essentials from the San Fernando community pantry.
The community pantry concept was first initiated early this month by a Quezon City business owner, which she called Maginhawa Community Pantry.
It was basically a bamboo cart with donated goods and other essentials. Since then, community pantries have sprouted in many parts of the country including Cebu.
READ: Community pantries pop up in Cebu
And San Fernando Community Pantry that Gracia has helped set up is one of them.
With this, we can say that with people like Gracia and we, Cebuanos, together, we can help and take care of each other in small ways. We know we can.
Padayon, Sugbo!
/dbs
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LOOK: Community pantry was set up at Sitio Mag-alambac in Mantalongon, Dalaguete town on April 20