Every day, fast food labels Pizza Hut and Taco Bell Philippines offer the public quick and filling meals to help us get through the day. But once a year, these restaurants under Yum! Brands Inc. provide nutritious food to schoolchildren in Mindanao in a bid to end world hunger.
This year is no different, as the two popular fast food brands, together with the United Nations World Food Programme, recently visited conflict-affected communities in Lanao to observe the WFP’s ongoing feeding program for children. The school-based feeding program is part of Yum!'s annual World Hunger Relief campaign, which is touted as the world’s largest private sector hunger relief effort to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds to benefit WFP.
Established in 2007, the WHR is primarily focused on engaging Yum! Brands’ associates, franchisees and consumers in over 41,000 restaurants around the globe to end world hunger by contributing money to help feed the beneficiaries of the WFP. Here in the country, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell have been supporting WFP since 2008, and have since raised over P25 million to help feed Filipino schoolchildren.
“We have over 5,000 employees in the Philippines, and by engaging them to be part of WHR, we can make a huge contribution in alleviating hunger especially among children, while encouraging our employees to grow into socially responsible members of their community,” shares Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chief operating officer Teck Huack “TH” Lim.
For this year's WHR campaign, funds raised will be used to feed elementary school students in Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao. Philippine Pizza, Inc. (Pizza Hut) is currently selling tokens in exchange for donations.
“Through Yum! Brands' Pizza Hut and Taco Bell Philippines' initiative, we get to provide nutritious meals to schoolchildren in Central Mindanao who need them the most. In time, we can all achieve our goal to end world hunger,” says WFP Philippines deputy country director Martin Bettelley.
Lim and Bettelley led the initial distribution of nutritious meals and loot bags to 900 children from Denaig Elementary School in Poona Piagao, Lanao Del Norte, and Pindulonan Elementary School in Piagapo, Lanao del Sur. Joining them were representatives from the Department of Education and local government units.