Nearly 900 families in Bogo City in Cebu, Concepcion in Iloilo, and Ormoc and Tacloban in Leyte affected by the enhanced community quarantine were all smiles after receiving food packs from SM Foundation and fashion company Uniqlo.
Inside the food packs the family in SM Cares villages received were kilos of rice, cup noodles, cans of sardines and tuna, and bottles of distilled water.
“Thank you SM Foundation and Uniqlo for bringing these relief packs to our place,” said Neralyn Montejo, one of the beneficiaries of the SM Cares Village in Bogo City. “Thank you for not abandoning us during this time of crisis.”
The SM Cares villages were built for survivors of super typhoon Yolanda in 2013. The project was a joint undertaking of SM and its service providers, tenants, business partners, employees, and communities.
The disaster-resilient houses were given to the beneficiaries for free, with SM working with several non-government organization partners for its community development, including livelihood and values-formation activities.
Each village has utilities, basic amenities like street lights, as well as a community center and a basketball court. There are also chapels and convenience stores for its residents.