Through its Operation Tulong Express (OPTE) program, SM Foundation has distributed a total of 60,470 Kalinga packs worth P23.5 million as of December 10 to families displaced by the recent typhoons that hit the country.
Areas that received Kalinga packs, each containing food and other essentials, include the Rizal province, Batangas, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cagayan, Isabela, Bicol Region, and the National Capital Region, among others.
Aside from the relief packs, SM Foundation, through its sustained collaboration with its partners, also distributed Uniqlo face masks and Goldilocks food items to the affected families.
Moreover, this program serves as a venue for some employees to extend help to the victims by offering their time and effort in packing and distributing the relief packs. Mateo Pamittan III of SM City Cauayan was among the mall employees who rushed to the mall to pack and distribute Kalinga packs to the flood victims in Cagayan and Tuguegarao.
Mateo shared why he volunteered in the recent OPTE operation, “As embodied in the company’s mantra of spreading social good – especially during disasters, volunteeriSM is the best way to show how we care, support and connect deeper with others, specifically to those living in our host communities.”
He has volunteered around 15 times in his 7 years with the Shopping Center Management Corp. He said that he finds the value of life in sharing and helping others. As much as he can, he volunteers in most, if not all, during SM’s efforts on relief and medical missions especially in flooded and typhoon-devastated areas.
Operation Tulong Express is a social good program of SM Foundation in collaboration with SM Supermalls and SM Markets that provides relief and support in communities affected by calamities and crises.