Millennials help kids in Payatas through feeding program
Two high school students’ mission to provide nutritional sustenance to the needy children of St. Benedict, Payatas proved that the Filipino youth could care in humanity more than technology and social media and that they can make a big difference in their country.
Joshua Emmanuel Tan and Philip Sebastian “Basti” Belmonte started “The MEALenium” project in August 2015. The feeding center, which used to be an empty lot near the chuch, is situated in St. Benedict, Payatas. With the help of the Payatas Orione Foundation (PAOFI), the feeding project embraced its first 25 to 30 beneficiary children who were being regularly weighed and provided with healthy midday meals from Mondays to Fridays. The mothers of the children volunteer and help out at the feeding center for a few hours each week.
The mission was born out of the boys’ high hopes to decrease the percentage of underweight children in the country. Joshua and Basti, who are both varsity athletes, would often visit Payatas, a place in the Philippines more commonly known as a major dump site, during Christmas with their families. This tradition ignited a blazing aspiration in their hearts; the boys became concerned about the kids’ health in the area and how they were being fed for the rest of the year – thus the birth of The MEALenium project.
With hard work and perseverance, the program’s presence in the community was already established in a span of 16 months. What started out with a feeding center for 25 kids from the most impoverished families in the area has expanded to include a daily feeding program and several activities that facilitate the development of the children’s cognitive skills, academic learning, sports skills and social skills. for over 600 undernourished students in Lupang Pangako Elementary School, Payatas.
The MEALenium project also partnered with the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) and the local government of Quezon City through the Office of the Vice Mayor to build a centralized kitchen for Lupang Pangako Elementary School. This kitchen aims to provide an efficient way to cook for 1,000 school children daily while ensuring the quality and nutrition of the meals served. The kitchen was initially intended to serve 600 children but quickly grew to feeding 1,000 malnourished school children.
Want to lend a helping hand? You can directly donate cash to sponsor a child for a month’s worth (or more!) of nutritious meals. If you sponsor a child, a quarterly report on the child’s weight gain and growth progress will be sent to you. Find out more here: themealeniumproject.com
You can also support their fundraising activities that include Organic Vegetable selling, Garage Sales, Online Auctions, and Movie Premieres/Block Screenings. All of the schedules will be posted on their website and Facebook page.
For inquiries and donations, you can contact them through themealeniumproject@gmail.com
Website: themealeniumproject.com
Facebook: payatasfeeding
Source: philstar.com, themealeniumproject.com
