Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian underscored the role of the private sector in maintaining the daily operations of the newly-opened Walang Gutom Kitchen.
“Though we [DSWD] do provide manpower and we pay for the utilities, everything else is powered by the private sector,” Secretary Gatchalian said in a media interview on Friday (January 3), referring to the different kinds of food donated by the private sector.
The Walang Gutom Kitchen is the latest innovation of the DSWD aimed at addressing involuntary hunger and reducing food wastage by turning donated surplus food from hotels, restaurants, and organizations into hot, nutritious meals for hungry individuals.
The DSWD chief said the government is employing a whole-of-nation approach, which includes the private sector, in addressing hunger before the end of the term of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr on June 30, 2028.
“These are basic sustainable development goals that we want to address before the president steps out of office. So we want to make sure that it’s a whole-of-nation approach, and we’re in the private sector’s broadband,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
Secretary Gatchalian expressed the agency’s gratitude to organizations donating their surplus food but noted the need to encourage more partners to bring food to the soup kitchen.
“That’s what I was saying a while ago, that we need to encourage the private sector, our social welfare and development agencies to help us in fighting scourges such as poverty, hunger,” the DSWD chief said.
The Walang Gutom Kitchen aims to assist the families in street situations (FISS) and those experiencing involuntary hunger through the donations from hotels, restaurants, and other establishments.
“Involuntary hunger happens to a million Filipino families and what’s important is that they know where they can access free food that are both healthy and delicious,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
