Community pantries are the only positive thing we want to spread.
Amidst The Covid-19 Crisis, The World Unites And Proves That The Human Spirit Cannot Be Broken
Alongside the unbelievable rise of COVID-19 cases here in the Philippines (with cases reaching up to almost a million now), has been the spread of kindness among ordinary folks. These are the times when we can’t help but sigh deeply when thinking about what lies ahead, but a chain act of kindness gives many Filipinos a breath of fresh air and a new hope to look forward to. The community pantries all over the Philippines are here to bring us good news.
The first of many community pantries has just started in April 14 in Maginhawa and initiated by Ana Patricia Non, a 26-year-old furniture business owner. The act that was borne out of compassion for some of the families who struggle to make ends meet has become a catalyst for this “good virus.”
The goal of Ana’s bamboo cart pantry in Maginhawa is simple: to give whatever you can, take only what you need. Anyone is being encouraged to donate basic goods, and get what he or she needs in return. This initiative was already replicated in different parts of the Philippines and said to already have reached more than 20 community pantries and still counting.
We, Filipinos, always take pride in our bayanihan trait, how we collectively help our fellow countrymen, it’s amazing how innate it is in us as seen through these community pantries.
James Arellano, a business owner was inspired by his wife Hancel to set up community pantries in Paranaque and Quezon City. They used the profit they have earned from their small business, Palengke Runner, and now the couple has received numerous donations from different people. James shared their experience in his Facebook post, “At first only a few people came and got some food. Everyday people, basureros, drivers and everyone from all walks of life came and took what they needed.” For James, “it doesn’t matter who it came from, as long as we can help”.
The chain of bad news we see and hear everyday adds to the suffocation that the pandemic has brought upon us, even more than wearing a mask under a face shield on a hot day outside our homes. The pandemic lockdown may have put on hold our lives, plans, livelihoods and businesses, but the community pantries shows that no lockdown or pandemic can stop good hearts to act and good virus to spread.
