The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is preparing to bring the Walang Gutom Kitchen (WGK) to the Visayas, according to a senior DSWD official.
Undersecretary Edu Punay of the DSWD’s Innovations and Program Development Group said the department will open the second WGK in Cebu province.
“At present, we only have one in Pasay City serving the National Capital Region, but starting last month until this month, we have been preparing the expansion of the program to other areas. We have already identified a venue in Cebu province,” Punay said.
He said the DSWD is targeting Mandaue City for the Visayas food bank, with operations expected to begin in February.
“We will open our Walang Gutom Kitchen in the Visayas, in Cebu province, specifically in Mandaue City,” Punay said.
The WGK assists families in street situations and those experiencing involuntary hunger through donations from hotels, restaurants and other establishments.
Punay said the DSWD also plans to establish a soup kitchen in Mindanao and gradually scale up the initiative in areas with a high incidence of involuntary hunger.
“We are also looking at opening another one in Mindanao. First, we will have one each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao before we slowly scale up in areas where the incidence of involuntary hunger is very high,” he said.
Currently, the DSWD manages the country’s first food bank, which continues to operate at the Nasdake Building, a former Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator hub in Pasay City.
The WGK is the latest DSWD innovation aimed at addressing involuntary hunger and reducing food wastage by turning donated surplus food from hotels, restaurants and organizations into hot meals for those in need.
