PAOFI in the midst of COVID-19 Pandemic
For the past 9 months, COVID-19 pandemic brought great chaos to people all around the world. Our community here in Payatas is not excluded in the hazards caused by this crisis. Most of the families living here were ill-prepared in facing this challenging situation. A lot of them lost their jobs and were not even capable of providing food for their families during the quarantine period.
We, at Payatas Orione Foundation, Inc. (PAOFI), cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of these vulnerable people. Despite the challenge of operating in a skeletal workforce, we still managed to call for donations and distribute it in the form of food packs. It includes rice, canned goods, instant noodles, and other ready to eat foods. These were handed out to the affected families in our feeding and scholarship programs.
Food packs were given to our beneficiaries as an alternative to the usual daily feeding program. These were being handed out to the children and their families on a weekly basis since March 16, 2020.
Safety protocols were strictly observed to minimize any possibility of being infected by the virus.
We believe that the health of our colleagues and the beneficiaries are the most important thing during these trying times. The recipients are required to wash and sanitize their hands and check their temperature before they will be given the food packs/supplies. Physical distancing is also a huge requirement on every distribution day.
The dedication shown by the staff and volunteers of PAOFI in helping the neediest in our community is truly admirable. They offer themselves to serve other people despite the risks of our current situation.
In this time of crisis, we were able to see a lot of generous people who are willing to support our humanitarian visions. We are very grateful for the overflowing love and support that our bounteous sponsors are giving us. We hope that they will never get tired of helping the Payatas community. Their simple acts of kindness already mean a lot to the indigent families under our care. They bring hope in our hearts even in this plight.
This pandemic reveals a lot of goodness in our community. Despite the harsh reality of scarcity and danger in everyone’s health and wellbeing, we were still able to see hope in each other. We witnessed the benevolence of our staff and volunteers. We were showered with abundant generosity from our sponsors. And we saw the resilience of the people who received our help. These are the factors that keep PAOFI growing.
The process of reaching out to the poor is exhausting and energy-draining but all those things will suddenly come off the moment you see the sweetest smile from their grateful faces.
We would like to thank our generous sponsors who have committed in helping the poor families in Payatas. We are truly grateful to our major contributors – Salazar Family; Ma’am Marites Ingles family and friends together with the San Miguel Corporations, Fr. Manoling Francisco and Tanging Yaman Foundation; Project Covid Shield; Rotary Club of China; The MEALENIUM Project; Ms. Michelle Ong family and friends; as well as other anonymous sponsors.
PAOFI will always carry its goal of helping the people of Payatas community in any possible way. Even a pandemic cannot hinder our helping hands in serving the people. We hope that more people, may it be individual or organization, will continue to support our aspirations and be a tool in changing lives of more of our brothers and sisters.