The “bayanihan” spirit that inspired community pantries in parts of the country has caught up with concerned residents and volunteers here.
A convergence community pantry, the first in the city, opened in the business district on Gen. Santos Drive on Thursday, drawing hundreds of residents who continue to grapple with the impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Dubbed “Buliganay Pantry,” the initiative took off shortly before 8 a.m. amid outpouring of support from local businesses, private groups and individuals, local government officials and even ordinary citizens.
“We were really inspired with the initiatives that started in Luzon so we thought that if they can do it there, we can also come up with our own version here,” said Jessie Cruz, one of the core movers of the pantry.
He said he and other volunteers of the “Bulig Kontra Covid-19 Koronadal,” which was formed at the onset of the pandemic last year, decided to come together to set up the community pantry.
The group named the pantry “Buliganay,” a Hiligaynon or Ilonggo term that means “to help each other.”
Cruz, the president of the South Cotabato Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in an interview with reporters they gathered donations like rice, canned goods, vegetables and other food supplies from local businesses and other donors.
Donations have kept pouring in since they posted the initiative on Facebook several days ago and called for anything that people can share, he said.
“We never had any problem here in terms of donations. Many people are always willing to share,” he said.
Based on the announcement posted by the group on its Facebook page, the pantry will be open daily starting Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or until the supplies are available.
A queue began in front of the pantry site as early as 5 a.m. and the crowd, which included senior citizens and pregnant women, swelled to over 300 in just three hours.
This prompted Lt. Col. Joefel Siason, the city police director, to send a team of policemen to help manage the crowd, especially in observing safe physical distancing.
Leonarda Cabayles, 44, one of the first residents catered to by the pantry, said she went to the site around 5:30 a.m. after hearing about it in a local radio station.
She got a small bag of food supplies composed of a pack of rice, two canned goods, two packs of noodles, five eggs and other items.
Honey Salilama, 23, who is pregnant with her second child, said she got wind of the pantry through a Facebook post.
The young mother, who is from Barangay Zone 3 here, expressed gratefulness to the organizers for coming up with the initiative and prioritizing their sector.
“This is really a big help to my family,” she told the Philippine News Agency in the vernacular.
Cruz said they did not expect the huge crowd that came to get help from the pantry, which is open to anyone.
He said they will continue to seek help from donors, especially among businesses, to sustain the community pantry.
Cruz added they are considering moving it later on to a bigger open space to properly manage the crowd. (PNA)
