The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is calling on the public to lend a hand as it works around the clock to replenish the nation’s emergency food reserves following recent storms. Volunteers are urgently needed to help repack Family Food Packs (FFPs) at the Luzon Disaster Resource Center (LDRC) in Pasay City and the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City, Cebu.
Heavy relief distributions triggered by the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) and Cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng have drawn heavily on national stockpiles. Following orders from DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the agency aims to restore its peak inventory of 5 million food packs strategically prepositioned across 1,000 nationwide warehouses.
“If you have time to volunteer… open po ‘yung production hubs natin doon from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM from Mondays to Saturdays,” said Director Jun Eso, officer-in-charge of DSWD’s National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB).
Both facilities welcome volunteers from Monday to Saturday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, with a requested minimum shift of four hours to help meet daily target quotas. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, minors require an accompanying guardian due to heavy machinery, and wear closed-toe shoes for safety. While walk-ins are accepted, pre-registering with the NRLMB is strongly encouraged to manage shift capacities effectively.
To further bolster long-term disaster resilience, the DSWD is also executing a three-year plan to establish its first dedicated Mindanao production hub in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, with Phase 1 targeted to begin this year.