Pantry organizers make creative ways to sustain community pantries supplies

More than two months after the establishment of the Maginhawa community pantry, thousands of pantries inspired by the initiative have sprouted all over the Philippines. But as fast as the initiative spread, donations were also quick to dwindle down as the excitement faded.

Today, more and more pantries are closing down, cutting the lifeline that poor Filipino families clung to.

As of writing, there are over 2,000 community pantries registered in Community

Pantry PH’s (CPPh) public database.

CPPh database manager Jenny Non said 82% of registered pantries are located in NCR+ which covers Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal and Laguna.

A community pantry needs P2,000- P20,000 per day to operate depending on the number of families it serves, CPPh said.

However, this amount is something organizers could not simply provide out of their pockets.

“Based from my observation lahat ng nag organizer kasi ng pantry ay low to middle-class wala talaga yung bonggang mayaman.” said Ana Patricia Non who is credited as the originator of community pantries, and is currently a team member of CPPh.

(Based from my observation all pantry organizers are low to middle class, no one is really affluent.)

A community within community pantries

CPPh has continued to help in sustaining community pantries by “decentralizing” the donations they receive.

“As much as possible we decentralize it so we ask donors where are you located, can you support a local community pantry, we want them to be community-based kasi mas importante ‘yon sa sustainability.”

(As much as possible we decentralize it so we ask donors where are you located, can you support a local community pantry, we want them to be community-based because that is central in sustainability.)

Volunteers sort vegetables for solidarity packs distribution in Claret School Quezon City.

Photo by Jazz Pher Justo

CPPh sends weekly “solidarity packs” that contain 35 kilos of produce to all verified pantries in NCR+. To verify pantries in the database, CPPh “stalks” each pantry’s organizer or social media page to ensure that it is operational and is not government, LGU or barangay affiliated.

“If we let government affiliations be a part of it, hindi na siya mutual aid effort, ayuda na siya,” Non said.

(If we let government affiliations be a part of it, it is not a mutual aid effort anymore, it’s government assistance)

These solidarity packs came from the surplus harvest of local farmers that would have been sold at a loss or thrown away.

The produce is then being dropped off in Claret School in Quezon City where it will be equally divided into 25 city hubs, each of whom has a minimum of 20 pantries under them. Hubs are then instructed to pick up the produce for distribution to individual pantries.

Due to logistical concerns, provincial pantries are given cash assistance amounting to P5,000. Unlike NCR+ pantries, the cash assistance is only given as needed instead of weekly.

“Nagpapasalamat kami dito, kahit malayo [kami] sa Maginhawa, naramdaman namin yung solidarity,” says DA Aguilar, a pantry organizer from Naga City, Camarines Sur.

(We are very thankful for this, even though we are far from Maginhawa, we can still feel the solidarity)

These solidarity packs and cash aid are received by over 350 pantries weekly. CPPh said they spend at least P250,000 a week for this to be possible, however, CPPh could only provide two more weeks of aid due to budget constraints.

To further extend help for community pantries, CPPh on June 11 launched the Adopt-a-Pantry program that seeks to create a more organized system for donors to support individual pantries.

Through the program, donors have the option to donate P 500, P 1,000, or P 2,000 weekly with the option of donating for a minimum of 1 month up to 3 months.

Donors can also choose their beneficiary from the CPPh database or let CPPh choose on their behalf.

“Iyong mga nasa higher socioeconomic class hindi naman nila kailangan masyado ng community pantry sa area nila pero kailangan natin sila i-tap na magdonate sa community pantry...kasi itong pera na ‘to yung pinambibili natin ng gulay,” Non said.

(Those in the higher socioeconomic class don’t need community pantries in their area, but we need to tap them to donate to community pantries, because this money will be used to buy produce.)

Getting creative in raising funds

In support of the weekly aid that they receive, individual pantry organizers are also getting creative in garnering funds to sustain their pantries through selling merchandise such as aprons, shirts, and tote bags donning a design by Robert Alejando, a children’s book illustrator and part-owner of arts and crafts store, Papemelroti.

Organizers from the Payatas pantry, some of which are wives of EJK Victims, are selling aprons with a community pantry design to raise funds.

Pia Labrador, organizer of a Quezon City Pantry, chose to sell tote bags of the same design instead.

“Naisip ko(...)specific yung taong mangangailangan ng apron, yung bag kahit sino puwede. It’s a good venue for people to donate,” said Labrador.

(I thought that only some people would need aprons, while bags can be used by anyone. It’s a good venue for people to donate)

As of writing, Labrador sold over P22,000 worth of tote bags, all of which went to sustain their pantry in Samar Avenue.

“Malaking tulong yung sales ng bag sa pag support ng mga pantry supplies,” said Labrador.

(Sales from the bag are of great help in providing supplies for the pantry)

DA Aguilar of Naga City thought of a different way to raise funds. Instead of selling merch, he plans on having an online busking event for the benefit of their community pantry.

Community pantries, however, need more than just donations to become sustainable as it also needs volunteers to help manage its operations.

Given that organizers also have personal commitments and jobs to tend to, CPPh recognizes the need for volunteers and organizers to rest.

“Magiging sustainable lang yung pantries kapag well-rested na yung mga tao,” said Jenny Non.

(Pantries would only be sustainable once the people are well-rested”).

To help each other from getting tired of their work, Non, through CPPh conducts a “solidarity network webinar” everyday where she connects with different pantry organizers.

Through this webinar, they share resources, challenges and successes they’ve encountered while operating pantries as well as tips on how to rest.

CPPh also partnered with Tisya Hustisya, a lawyer’s and human rights advocate’s initiative to provide legal advice and legal assistance to pantry volunteers and organizers should the need arise.

When to stop, or not?

When asked if they plan on taking down the community pantries they’ve established, the Non sisters, Pia, and DA all said the same thing: their pantries are here to stay.

“Wala yan sa isip ko na huminto kasi may pangangailangan at hindi naman din nakakasagasa sa sarili mong buhay, so bakit mo ipagkakait yung kapasidad mong tumulong at magpaluwal ng pagkain sa pantry?” Aguilar said.

(I never thought to stop because there is a need and it does not hinder my personal life, so why would you deny your being able to help and give food to the pantry?)

Non hopes that at the very least, the essence of community pantries would live on after the pandemic, where neighbors could work together for a “redistribution of wealth in their communities.”

At the end of the day, Patricia Non believes that the key to the sustainability of community pantry still lies within the masses.

“Yung essential, mula sa masa tungo sa masa...Nasa masa yung sagot, tayo iyong magpapalaya sa isa’t isa,” Non said.

(What is essential is from the masses, towards the masses...the answer lies within the masses, we will liberate each other)