‘…those who need a hand up will be the ones to benefit from this outpouring of kindness from their own communities, and from those who only wish to alleviate the plight of others by contributing the little that they can. This is the Filipino spirit we all know and love.’
THE phenomenon that is the Maginhawa community pantry has provided a much-needed boost to those who sorely needed a break from seeing only dreary news online. Seeing photos of makeshift community pantries sprout all over is such a breath of fresh air, and is proof that one does not need to be a millionaire or a billionaire to help out others. It is perhaps not a coincidence that it started in a community called “Maginhawa” (comfortable, or blissful, in English), which approximates the feeling it gives to those who are helped by their neighbors, even for a day.
Community pantries cannot run on the initiative of one person alone; thus, its rise in several areas has given those frustrated at the lack of ayuda to the vulnerable a concrete and doable means to help. You see this in the influx of donations arriving at the community pantries; folks as far as Tagaytay have travelled to Quezon City to bring sacks of rice, fresh fish and vegetables, and other root crops.
What is unbelievable is that there are fanatics who are trying to diss this initiative and dismiss it as politicking. Politicking by whom, exactly? If communities or a group of neighbors come together to help those in need, where in the world is the ill-motive in that effort? But alas, there are such people, vainly attempting to taint the efforts of ordinary citizens who are tired of the doom and gloom of our current state of affairs. As one person on Twitter put it out of exasperation: “How can people demonize an act of kindness? Who hurt you?”
And yet, ordinary folks move forward, volunteering their time and resources to these initiatives. I stayed off Facebook for a few weeks as seeing so many black profile photos was quite difficult to bear. So many untimely deaths, so many families mourning the loss of loved ones and friends. A number of friends have also made the same observation. But in the last few days, it seems that it takes less of a mental toll to go back to social media, mainly because of the flicker of hope one gets from seeing all these people springing into action, taking matters into their own hands.
Even in special interest Facebook Groups (the non-political kind), folks are asking each other for information on how to help and how to put up their own communities. There are those in the tech industry already kicking around ideas about how they can use their skills to help, and organizations that have gathered information about where and how to volunteer at the community pantries in your area. I see folks on social media posting art cards about what food items to include in a pantry, and sharing leads about where to source food for donations. Whether it is a result of our collective frustration at how the pandemic response is being managed, or simply the nudge we all needed to continue to reach out, it is undeniable that this is happening.
At the end of the day, those who need a hand up will be the ones to benefit from this outpouring of kindness from their own communities, and from those who only wish to alleviate the plight of others by contributing the little that they can. This is the Filipino spirit we all know and love.
