In a bid to provide healthy meals to the most vulnerable and in need members of the city, the Quezon City government through its Social Services Development Department (SSDD) set up feeding stations in each Yakap Day Care center in the city.
A total of 295 feeding stations were established across the city as part of the #GrowQC Nutritious feeding program that aims to provide healthy meals.
“All our feeding stations established in 295 daycare centers can feed up to 100 families a day. Kada araw, nakakapagbigay tayo ng masustansyang pagkain sa 29,500 na pamilya na bahagi ng most vulnerable sector ng ating komunidad,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.
The nutritionist-dietitians of SSDD create the menu and prepare a variety of nutritious meals such as Monggo dilis with Spinach/ Malunggay, Misua Veggie soup, Adobong Kangkong and Ginisang Repolyo, Sayote, and Carrots with the help of day care workers and parent volunteers.
The ingredients of the meals were also sourced from the city’s urban farms to also provide livelihood to the urban farmers in New Greenland (Brgy. Bagong Silangan), Villa Viena (Brgy. Novaliches) and Sitio Uno (Brgy. North Fairview).
“Bukod sa nakakapagbigay tayo ng nutritious meals sa ating mga residente, nabibigyan din natin ng dagdag kita ang ating urban farmers dahil sa kanila nanggagaling ang mga gulay na sangkap sa ating mga inihahain tulad ng spinach, pechay, at kangkong,” Mayor Belmonte explained.
“This program also promotes the importance of urban farming. Hinihikayat namin ang mga residente na magkaroon ng sarili nilang urban garden sa kanilang bakuran. Ang lungsod ay handang umalalay sa inyo para makapagsimula kayo,” Mayor Belmonte added.
According to SSDD chief Fe Macale, most of the beneficiaries of the program are those who were hugely affected by the pandemic.
“Karamihan ng mga beneficiary ng ating feeding program ay mga nawalan ng trabaho ngayong may pandemya kaya hanggang nasa Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) pa ang NCR, magbibigay tayo sa kanila ng libre at masusustansyang pagkain araw-araw,” Macale said.
Aside from the feeding stations, the #GrowQC mobile kitchen is also going around the city to bring nutritious meals closer to the communities.
The #GrowQC program is part of the city’s action plan on food security. Aside from this, it also assists and supports local provincial and urban farmers by buying their produce and linking them into the city’s feeding program.
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