Soup Kitchen

After Super Storm Haiyan (Yolanda) struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013 and left an unthinkable path of devastation, my friends and family joined forces and set up a soup kitchen for the village children of Balaquid. What started as a personal project intended to feed for a week turned out to be an initiative that lasted for 54 days with the help of my family and very generous friends. A friend sold some of his personal artwork to help raise funds, a complete stranger held a bake sale, a group of friends organized a garage sale; such random acts of kindness helped sustain the kitchen. Though a transitory project, it was able to bring so much joy (and burps!) to hundreds of children who enjoyed a serving of goodness from November 19, 2013 to January 11, 2014. At least 25,000 meals were served. With overhead expenses kept to a minimum, the project managed to give 750 pairs of flip-flops to the kids and packs of rice and canned meat for 550 families. The remaining funds will be utilized to build two toilets and to provide tap water for the school. Presently, there are only 2 toilets for 548 schoolchildren and no tap water. To everyone who became involved in this undertaking, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!